中文里表示“失败”的词有很多，如“功败垂成”、“竹篮打水一场空”、“铩羽而归”等等，看看英文里有什么不同的词来表示“失败”吧。

1. fail:

例：

We tried to make her change her mind, but we failed. （我们想让她改变初衷，但未能成功。）

I failed to convince him that I was right. （我劝他认同我，但未能成功。）

Having failed to find her friend, she decided to return home. （既然找不到同伴，她决定回家。）

Millions of people have tried to quit smoking and failed miserably. （无数的人想要戒烟结果却一败涂地。）

2. failure: when you fail in something you are trying to do

例：

She never tries anything because she's terrified of failure. （她从不尝试做什么，因为她害怕失败。）

His ability has been called into question after a number of recent failures. （近期接连失败，他的能力遭到质疑。）

3. not make it: to fail in your job, especially because you do not earn a lot of money or do not become well known and respected

备注：这是较口语化的用法。

Many new businesses don't make it through their first year. （刚创立的企业往往熬不过第一年。）

It's tough to succeed in this business. If you don't work hard, you'll not make it. （在这行很难取得成功。如果不努力，就会失败。）

No one was surprised when he didn't make it as a rock star. （他没能成为摇滚歌星，没人感到意外。）

She soon realized she'd never make it in the cut-throat world of journalism. （很快，她就意识到，在竞争激烈的新闻界她永远不可能成功。）

4. get nowhere: to fail after trying hard for a long time

例：

Unless you compromise, you'll get nowhere. （你必须妥协，否则你就会功败垂成。）

Realizing she was getting nowhere with Paul, she approached John. （她意识到跟保罗交往下去也不会有结果，于是她接近约翰。）

5. for nothing: if all your work, preparation etc. is for nothing, you have tried to achieve something and spent a lot of time on it, but failed

例：

If we don't get the contract all our hard work will have been for nothing. （如果签不到合同，我们所有努力都将付诸东流。）

I don't want to struggle all my life for nothing. （我不想一辈子一事无成。）

6. in vain: if you tried to do something in vain, or if your efforts were in vain, you completely failed after a lot of effort

例：

Doctors tried in vain to save him but he died just before dawn. （医生全力救治，但他还是在黎明前死了。）

Police have spent hours searching in vain for the missing teenager. （警方花了好几个小时寻找失踪少年未果。）

It took a great deal of courage to admit that all her efforts had been in vain. （要她承认自己所有努力都白费了，也需要极大的勇气。）

7. draw a blank: fail to find or discover information or a person or thing you are looking for

备注：这是英式英语较口语化的说法，美式英语常作''come up empty-handed''。

例：

Once again police investigators have drawn a blank. （警方又一次调查无果。）

The private detective she hired to look for him had come up empty-handed. （她雇来找他的私家侦探空手而归。）