Guide 197 / 200 5 swaps Formal register
Professional words for “fail”
Five verbs for different flavours of failure.
i · When it mattersTwo lines, no filler
"Fail" is blunt. "Fall short" is for missed targets; "miscarry" is for plans; "falter" is mid-stream trouble; "founder" is catastrophic; "lapse" is losing standing over time.
ii · The swaps5 ways
- 01Fall short neutral
miss a target or expectation
Fall short of the annual plan by 3%.
- 02Miscarry formal
plans that go awry
The negotiation miscarried at the last stage.
- 03Falter neutral
lose momentum mid-stream
The rollout faltered in the second wave.
- 04Founder formal
catastrophic, full collapse
The merger foundered on antitrust.
- 05Lapse formal
lose standing or effect over time
The certification lapsed last March.