When you're failing at something, you're not succeeding at it. You might be failing a class if your grades are too low, failing to convince your friend to play your favorite game, or failing to make the basketball team. The word describes the ongoing process of not achieving what you're trying to accomplish.

Failing can feel discouraging, but it's also a normal part of learning and growing. Scientists often conduct experiments that fail many times before they succeed. Inventors create prototypes that fail before they build something that works.

Some people see failing as information: it shows them what needs to change or what to try differently next time. If you're failing at long division, that tells you which skills need more practice. If you're failing to train your dog, it might mean you need a different approach or more patience.

People sometimes say that failing becomes failure only when someone stops trying. Until then, they're learning what doesn't work so they can discover what does.