verb/fa.jiʁ/
to almost do something; to fail
“J'ai failli aller en Allemagne, mais j'ai annulé au dernier moment” — I almost went to Germany, but cancelled at the last minute
Synonyms: échouer
Inherited from Middle French faillir, from Old French falir, from Vulgar Latin *fallīre, from Latin fallere. See also falloir.