failed
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of failed
First recorded in 1650–60; fail ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not to be outdone, Ohtani led off the fifth inning with a single, but the Dodgers failed to score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Two men and two women who competed for Uganda at the Games failed to turn up for their scheduled flights home and have since turned off their mobile phones.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The whistleblower, Christy Lillie, alleged that JPMorgan failed to properly handle that surge and took steps to minimize its own losses at the expense of its customers’ savings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The company notably failed to protect the patent for semaglutide in Canada, where generic versions of the drug became available this spring.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Maybe we only understand what it means to achieve it after we’ve failed.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
