Lose (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

verb (used with object), lost [lawst, lost], /lɔst, lɒst/, los·ing [loo-zing]. /ˈlu zɪŋ/.
  1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery: I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
  2. to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered: I just lost a dime under this sofa.
  3. to suffer the deprivation of: to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
  4. to be bereaved of by death: to lose a sister.
  5. to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain: to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.
  6. (of a clock or watch) to run slower by: The watch loses three minutes a day.
  7. to give up; forfeit the possession of: to lose a fortune at the gaming table.
  8. to get rid of: to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight; She needs to lose those bangs!
  9. to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively): Ship and crew were lost.
  10. to condemn to hell; damn.
  11. to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc.: to lose him in the crowd.
  12. to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.): to lose one's bearings.
  13. to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.; outstrip: She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.
  14. to use to no purpose; waste: to lose time in waiting.
  15. to fail to get or take advantage of; miss: to lose an opportunity.
  16. to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.): to lose a bet.
  17. to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.): He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.
  18. to cause the loss of: The delay lost the battle for them.
  19. to let (oneself) go astray, miss the way, etc.: We lost ourselves in the woods.
  20. to allow (oneself) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else: I had lost myself in thought.
  21. (of a physician or other medical personnel) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient): The doctor came out of the operating room and sadly said, “So sorry. We lost him.”
  22. (of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.
verb (used without object), lost, los·ing.
  1. to suffer loss: to lose on a contract.
  2. to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game: We played well, but we lost.
  3. to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality: a classic that loses in translation.
  4. (of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.
Verb Phrases
  1. to suffer defeat or loss; fail to obtain something desired: He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.
Idioms
  1. face (def. 53).
  2. See entry at lose in translation.
  3. to suddenly lose control of one's emotions: When he said he loved me, I nearly lost it.
verb loses, losing or lost (mainly tr)
  1. to part with or come to be without, as through theft, accident, negligence, etc
  2. to fail to keep or maintain
  3. to suffer the loss or deprivation of
  4. to cease to have or possess
  5. to fail to get or make use of
  6. to fail to gain or win (a contest, game, etc)
  7. to fail to see, hear, perceive, or understand
  8. to waste
  9. to wander from so as to be unable to find
  10. to cause the loss of
  11. to allow to go astray or out of sight
  12. to absorb or engross
  13. to cause the death or destruction of
  14. to outdistance or elude
  15. to decrease or depreciate in value or effectiveness
  16. (of a timepiece) to run slow (by a specified amount)
  17. (of a physician) to fail to sustain the life of (a patient)
  18. (of a woman) to fail to give birth to (a viable baby), esp as the result of a miscarriage
  19. to lose control of (the car), as on a bend
  20. to lose control of oneself or one's temper
Lose (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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