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.
“Those costs should not be shifted onto the very people the system failed to protect.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
But after protracted and public negotiations to agree on a new contract to use the AI models in a military setting failed, Anthropic found itself in the Pentagon’s crosshairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Kindell says that failed pizza robot companies have nonetheless generated useful data and made strides in developing their technology.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The researchers started with data from 37 printing configurations that had already failed in earlier experiments conducted in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
“You always have to be the best at everything,” he teased, and when that failed to make her smile, he added, “I’m kidding. You’re not a jerk at all.”
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
