Definitions of fail:

• verb:   become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close

  Example: "A number of banks failed that year"

• verb:   fall short in what is expected

  Example: "She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law"

• verb:   fail to get a passing grade

  Example: "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"

• verb:   judge unacceptable

  Example: "The teacher failed six students"

• verb:   be unsuccessful

  Example: "Where do today's public schools fail?"

• verb:   fail to do something; leave something undone

  Example: "She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib"

• verb:   be unable

  Example: "I fail to understand your motives"

• verb:   stop operating or functioning

  Example: "The engine failed on the way to town"

• verb:   prove insufficient

  Example: "The water supply for the town failed after a long drought"

• verb:   get worse
• verb:   disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake

  Example: "His sense of smell failed him this time"

• name:  A surname (very rare: popularity rank in the U.S.: #20916)