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.
Support Staff Services Limited, Slough, failed to pay £119,715.13 to 323 workers.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The verdict means that almost nine years since the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Maltese authorities have failed to identify and convict the mastermind.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The plane, a Gulfstream C-37A jet, diverted to the Washington, D.C.-area airport after its right engine failed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Fellow Briton Jacob Fearnley also failed to reach the third round as he suffered a 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-3 loss to Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
He saw now how that had served him: In refusing to defend himself, he’d failed to defend Deadwood.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
