To fail means to try something and not succeed. When you fail a spelling test, you didn't get enough answers right to pass. When an experiment fails, it doesn't produce the result you hoped for. When a business fails, it runs out of money and has to close.

Failure happens to everyone, and it can be a way to learn important lessons. Thomas Edison failed many times before inventing a working light bulb. Each failure taught him something new about what wouldn't work, bringing him closer to what would. Scientists expect some experiments to fail because that's how they discover what's actually true. Athletes fail at new skills many times before mastering them.

The word can also describe something that stops working: when your computer fails, it crashes or won't turn on. A failing grade means you didn't meet the required standard for passing a class.

People sometimes avoid trying new things because they're afraid to fail. Many successful people in different fields have failed many times before they succeeded.