Phrase Hound found 35 phrases and 39 compound words that contain fail. The most common are listed below. Open fail in the live search for definitions, filters, and the full list.
Phrases 35
- without failCertainly; by all means; as a matter of importance.
- fail-safeThat does not cause undue damage in the event of failure.
- Daily FailThe Daily Mail newspaper.
- fail to notice
- fail fastTo report immediately any condition likely to cause a failure, rather than attempting to continue.
- too big to failDeemed too important to the economy or polity to be allowed to “fail”, that is to be liquidated or to go bankrupt.
- epic failAn utter failure, especially where success should have been reasonably expected.
- fail-deadlyOf a nuclear weapons strategy: encouraging deterrence by guaranteeing an automatic, immediate, and overwhelming response to an attack, even if the command-and-control infrastructure has been damaged by the enemy's first strike.
- fail closedOf an access control system: to automatically block all traffic in the case of a failure. For example, an electronic safe becoming impossible to unlock in the event of a power outage.
- fail openOf an access control system: to automatically let all traffic through in the case of a failure. For example, an emergency door unlocking in the event of a power outage.
- fail overTo automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.
- fail-secureOf a device: such that, if it fails, it does so in a way that will cause little or no harm to other devices and personnel.
- fail-softAble to proceed even after an error condition by selectively skipping parts of the processing.
- male-failOf a trans woman: to fail to pass as male; to make a successful male-to-female transition.
- pass-failDescribing a form of examination, etc. in which the student either passes or fails, without receiving a specific mark or grade.
- fail whaleAn image of a whale that formerly accompanied certain error messages on the Twitter microblogging website.
- fail at lifeTo be or become trapped in poverty, or in a situation where one is not doing anything productive with one's life; to become a loser.
- fail outTo be forced to leave a school or university because of unsatisfactory grades.
- fail upAlternative form of fail upwards: To advance in one's career despite failure or incompetence.
- words fail someoneSomeone is incapable of describing something with words, especially due to fear, shock, or surprise.
- fail upwardsTo advance in one's career despite failure or incompetence.
- foster failThe situation in which a person intends to foster an animal temporarily but winds up adopting the animal permanently.
- Operation Epic FailThe 2026 Iran war.
- fail and divotAlternative form of feal and divot: A predial servitude (a legal interest by a non-owner connected with a piece of land) that grants the dominant tenant the right to cut out portions of turf for the construction or repair of sod structures …
- fail upwardAlternative form of fail upwards: To advance in one's career despite failure or incompetence.
Compound words 39
- failureState or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
- failbackThe restoration of a system in a state of failover back to its original state (before the failure occurred).
- faildaughterAn incompetent, unsuccessful middle-class or upper-class woman who is protected from economic duress by her family's wealth or influence.
- failsonAn incompetent, unsuccessful middle- or upper-class man who is protected from economic duress by his family's wealth or influence.
- cringefailEmbarrassing and cringeworthy.
- failchildAn incompetent, unsuccessful middle-class or upper-class child of wealthy and influential parents.
- unfailTo undo or reverse the failure of; to return to an unfailed state.
- autofailAn automatic failure.
- failerOne who fails.
- unfailableImpossible to fail.