failure
When something does not work or does not give the result you want.
The state or fact of not achieving a desired goal or outcome.
When a machine or system stops working.
An occasion when a machine, system, or part stops working correctly.
A person who is not successful in life or in something they try to do.
A person who does not succeed in life or in a specific activity.
When an organ or body part stops working normally.
The loss of ability of an organ or part of the body to function normally.
- Base: failure
- Plural: failure, failures
if at first you don't succeed, try, try again
1Encourage persistence after failing once or more times
Keep trying until you succeed, even if you fail at first.
- Don't give up—if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
- She remembered the saying: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
set up for failure
1Put someone in position to fail from start
To make it likely that someone will fail by giving them problems from the start.
- Giving him no training set him up for failure.
- They set themselves up for failure by ignoring the warnings.
epic fail
1Very big and obvious failure
A very big and embarrassing mistake or failure.
- Spilling coffee on my boss was an epic fail.
- The presentation was an epic fail from start to finish.
epic fail
2very big and obvious failure
A complete and very obvious failure, often in a way that looks silly or embarrassing.
- My attempt to bake a cake was an epic fail when it collapsed in the oven.
- The app launch was an epic fail, crashing for almost every user on the first day.
- He called the speech an epic fail after forgetting half of his notes.
epic fail
3Very big embarrassing mistake or defeat
A very big and embarrassing mistake or lack of success.
- Forgetting my lines on stage was an epic fail.
- That presentation was an epic fail.
trial and error
1Learning by trying and failing
A way to solve problems by trying different things and learning from mistakes until you find what works.
- Learning to cook often involves trial and error.
- We learned to fix the engine through trial and error.
- We found the best design through trial and error.
- Cooking well often comes from trial and error.
trial and error
2Problem-solving by repeated attempts
Trying many times and learning from mistakes until you find the right way.
- We learned how to fix the machine through trial and error.
- Cooking without a recipe is often trial and error.
without fail
1Always happens without exception
Always happens, every time, without exceptions.
- He calls his mother every Sunday without fail.
- The train arrives at 8:30 without fail.
without fail
2Happens every single time
Always happens; no exceptions.
- She calls me every Sunday without fail.
- The bus arrives at 8:00 without fail.
without fail
3always; every single time
Always happens or is done, no matter what.
- She calls me every Sunday without fail.
- The bus arrives at 8 a.m. without fail.