failing

failing
fail|ing1 [ `feılıŋ ] noun count
a fault or a weak point that makes someone or something less effective:
He had his failings, but he was basically a good man.
the failings of the criminal justice system
failing
fail|ing 2 [ `feılıŋ ] adjective
no longer strong or healthy:
his failing eyesight
government money wasted on failing industries
a. used about someone who is very old and seems likely to die soon:
his failing parents
failing
fail|ing 3 [ `feılıŋ ] preposition
used for saying that if one thing is not appropriate or possible, then there is something else you can try:
failing that: You should get them to pay for the damage, or failing that, claim on the insurance.

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Failing — Fail ing, n. 1. A failing short; a becoming deficient; failure; deficiency; imperfection; weakness; lapse; fault; infirmity; as, a mental failing. [1913 Webster] And ever in her mind she cast about For that unnoticed failing in herself. Tennyson …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • failing — [adj] not well, weak declining, defeated, deficient, faint, feeble, inadequate, insufficient, scant, scanty, scarce, short, shy, unavailing, unprosperous, unsuccessful, unsufficient, unthriving, vain, wanting; concepts 485,489 Ant. healthy, ok,… …   New thesaurus

  • failing — [fāl′iŋ] n. 1. a failure 2. a slight fault or defect; weakness prep. without; lacking [failing a good voter turnout, our candidate will lose] SYN. FAULT …   English World dictionary

  • failing — I noun asthenia, atony, blemish, cachexia, collapse, debilitation, decadence, decay, decline, decrepitude, defeat, deficiency, delinquency, disadvantage, failure, fallibility, fault, fiasco, flaw, foible, frailty, imperfection, inadequacy,… …   Law dictionary

  • failing — defect, fault, 1580s, verbal noun from FAIL (Cf. fail) …   Etymology dictionary

  • failing — n frailty, foible, *fault, vice Analogous words: *blemish, flaw, defect: weakness, infirmity (see corresponding adjectives at WEAK) Antonyms: perfection (in concrete sense) Contrasted words: *excellence, merit, virtue …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • failing — ► NOUN ▪ a weakness in a person s character. ► PREPOSITION ▪ if not …   English terms dictionary

  • failing — I UK [ˈfeɪlɪŋ] / US noun [countable] Word forms failing : singular failing plural failings a fault or a weak point that makes someone or something less effective He had his failings, but he was basically a good man. the failings of the criminal… …   English dictionary

  • failing — failingly, adv. failingness, n. /fay ling/, n. 1. an act or instance of failing; failure: His failing is due to general incompetence. 2. a defect or fault; shortcoming; weakness: His lack of knowledge is a grave failing. prep. 3. in the absence… …   Universalium

  • failing — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ great, major, serious (esp. BrE), worst ▪ Vanity is her worst failing. ▪ common, human ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

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