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foirer

to go wrong, to flop

verb fwah-REH Less Common

Usage Note

Foirer is informal/colloquial, meaning a plan or attempt has failed or gone badly. Ça a foiré is a very common way to say 'it went pear-shaped'. It is stronger and more colorful than échouer (to fail) and belongs firmly to informal spoken French; avoid it in formal writing.

Examples

"Le projet a complètement foiré."

Natural Translation

The project completely fell apart.

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