Raid failed without water (4)
I believe the answer is:
arid
'without water' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'raid failed' is the wordplay.
'failed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'raid' anagrammed gives 'ARID'.
(Other definitions for arid that I've seen before include "Parched with heat" , "Tedious; short of rain" , "Dry and parched, as with regions" , "Parched and barren" , "Dry and unfertile" .)