fail over
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
If the Web server crashes, we can fail over to the spare in less than a second.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “fail over” mean?
To automatically switch processing from a failed component in a critical system to its live spare or backup component.
Is “fail over” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.