fail to not succeed – used about people, plans, methods etc:
The plan failed. They failed to persuade her to change her mind. This method never fails.go wrong if something you do goes wrong, it fails after starting well:
The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.not work if something does not work, it does not do what you want it to do:
The drugs don’t work. I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn’t work.be unsuccessful /ˌʌnsəkˈsesf
əl◂/ to not have the result you wanted:
His first attempt to get a teaching job was unsuccessful. The search was unsuccessful.be a failure to be unsuccessful, with the result that you have wasted your efforts:
The government’s 5-year plan to modernize the economy was a complete failure.backfire if a plan or action backfires, it does the opposite of what it was intended to do:
His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.in vain if you try to do something in vain, you fail to do it:
They tried in vain to save him. All her efforts had been in vain. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
in vain adv. phr. 1. Without effect; without getting the desired result; without success.
The drowning man called in vain for help. To cry over spilled milk is to cry in vain. Compare: GO FOR NOTHING, NO USE.
2. See: TAKE ONE'S NAME IN VAIN.
[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲