failing that

idiom

formal

: if something (already specified) does not happen or succeed

We could try to persuade them by arguing or, failing that, we could threaten to cancel the deal.

Examples of failing that in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Rights groups and some lawmakers have pushed successive U.S. administrations to close Guantanamo or, failing that, release all those detainees never charged with a crime. —

Ellen Knickmeyer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025 Rights groups and some lawmakers have campaigned for years for successive U.S. administrations to close Guantánamo or, failing that, release all those detainees never charged with a crime. —

Lilith Foster-Collins, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 We are obsessed with how to postpone the inevitable and, failing that, how to make the most of our lives. —

Venki Ramakrishnan, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024 Record against the highest team in the standings that both teams have played, and failing that proceeding downward through other common opponents. —

Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for failing that