lose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
loses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lost,
past participle, past
-
losing
present participle
-
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.
-
to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered.
I just lost a dime under this sofa.
-
to suffer the deprivation of.
to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
-
to be bereaved of by death.
to lose a sister.
-
to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain.
to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.
-
(of a clock or watch) to run slower by.
The watch loses three minutes a day.
-
to give up; forfeit the possession of.
to lose a fortune at the gaming table.
-
to get rid of.
to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight; She needs to lose those bangs!
-
to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively).
Ship and crew were lost.
-
to condemn to hell; damn.
-
to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc..
to lose him in the crowd.
-
to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.).
to lose one's bearings.
-
to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.; outstrip.
She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.
-
to use to no purpose; waste.
to lose time in waiting.
-
to fail to get or take advantage of; miss.
to lose an opportunity.
-
to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.).
to lose a bet.
-
to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.).
He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.
-
to cause the loss of.
The delay lost the battle for them.
-
to let (oneself) go astray, miss the way, etc..
We lost ourselves in the woods.
-
to allow (oneself) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else.
I had lost myself in thought.
-
(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.”
-
(of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.
verb (used without object)
-
loses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lost,
past participle, past
-
losing
present participle
-
to suffer loss.
to lose on a contract.
-
to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game.
We played well, but we lost.
-
to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality.
a classic that loses in translation.
-
(of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.
verb phrase
idioms
-
lose face. face.
-
lose it, to suddenly lose control of one's emotions.
When he said he loved me, I nearly lost it.
-
lose something in translation. see lose in translation.
verb
-
to part with or come to be without, as through theft, accident, negligence, etc
-
to fail to keep or maintain
to lose one's balance
-
to suffer the loss or deprivation of
to lose a parent
-
to cease to have or possess
-
to fail to get or make use of
to lose a chance
-
(also intr) to fail to gain or win (a contest, game, etc)
to lose the match
-
to fail to see, hear, perceive, or understand
I lost the gist of his speech
-
to waste
to lose money gambling
-
to wander from so as to be unable to find
to lose one's way
-
to cause the loss of
his delay lost him the battle
-
to allow to go astray or out of sight
we lost him in the crowd
-
(usually passive) to absorb or engross
he was lost in contemplation
-
(usually passive) to cause the death or destruction of
two men were lost in the attack
-
to outdistance or elude
he soon lost his pursuers
-
(intr) to decrease or depreciate in value or effectiveness
poetry always loses in translation
-
(also intr) (of a timepiece) to run slow (by a specified amount)
the clock loses ten minutes every day
-
(of a physician) to fail to sustain the life of (a patient)
-
(of a woman) to fail to give birth to (a viable baby), esp as the result of a miscarriage
-
slang motor racing to lose control of (the car), as on a bend
he lost it going into Woodcote
-
slang to lose control of oneself or one's temper
Usage
What's the difference between lose and loose? Lose is a verb most commonly meaning to fail to win or to misplace something, as in I hate to lose in chess or Don’t lose your key. Loose is most commonly used as an adjective meaning not tight or free or released from fastening, attachment, or restraint, as in a loose screw or Let him loose! Lose ends with a z sound and rhymes with choose. Loose ends with an s sound and rhymes with moose. One reason that the two words are sometimes confused is that loose can also be used as a verb, most commonly meaning to free something from a restraint, as in loose the cannons! Perhaps the most common misuse of these words is when loose is used when lose should be. To remember the difference, remember this sentence: You could lose loose screws. (First comes the verb lose, with one o, followed by the adjective loose, with two o’s). Here’s an example of lose and loose used correctly in a sentence. Example: If you carry around loose cash, you could lose it—put it in your wallet. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between lose and loose.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
losesimple
-
losessimple
-
have lostperfect
-
has lostperfect
-
am losingprogressive
-
are losingprogressive
-
is losingprogressive
-
have been losingperfect progressive
-
has been losingperfect progressive
Past
-
lostsimple
-
had lostperfect
-
was losingprogressive
-
were losingprogressive
-
had been losingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lose
First recorded in before 900; Middle English losen, Old English -lēosan; replacing Middle English lesen, itself also reflecting Old English -lēosan; cognate with German verlieren, Gothic fraliusan “to lose”; see loss
Explanation
The verb to lose means something has gone missing. Maybe it's your car keys. Maybe it's points in a game. Maybe it's the love of your life. Sorry about that. You can physically lose something by misplacing it, or you can lose your pride in a competition. You can lose a game, you can lose your library book, you can lose money, you can lose your business, you can lose sight of your child, you can even lose your mind — basically, you can lose just about anything. Losing something is usually not a good thing, unless it's that annoying boyfriend or weight.
Vocabulary lists containing lose
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Commonly Confused Words, List 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Confused Words, List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One sentence, easy to lose amid the pageantry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Tyler Glasnow delivers five no-hit innings before running into trouble in the sixth as the Dodgers lose to the San Diego Padres 4-2 to drop the three-game series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
"It is always disappointing when you lose," captain Harry Brook said.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
They emit enormous amounts of radiation, continuously lose material through stellar winds and eventually end their lives in supernova explosions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
“I should have known. This lake was my own favorite on days when I began to lose hope.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Analyst Siraj Ahmed lowers the probability from 20% to 10% that Tuas’s Simba subsidiary loses its license due to its unauthorized spectrum use.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The problem can be compared with a clock that loses one minute every day.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
"Whenever someone loses their homes to demolitions, neighbours and families come to help them build new shelters. The fact that we all live close to each other helps," Emar said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The gay-inflected camp loses steam, and I wondered about the production’s insistence on modernizing Gullen with modern technology and media, changes that become more conspicuous when consumerism takes over the town.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“When a man loses his money, he may have trouble telling them apart.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
He lost more than 50 works of art in his second-floor studio—work he estimates could have sold for more than $100,000—and his building, Riverview Station, hasn’t yet reopened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The quarter, however, included a $25.4-million benefit from expected tariff refunds, without which Funko would have lost money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
On Harts first offensive play at College of the Canyons, Frithsmith lost the ball on a fumble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
“Thanks for, er… Yeah... I didn’t… Wow,” said the frontman, temporarily lost for words.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
And Flip—what if he lost the principalship of the school for this?
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Entering the weekend, the Angels had to win two of their last three to avoid losing 100 games for the first time in their checkered history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
She was not yet 40 when she was mysteriously laid off from her job and began losing interest in her family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
A decade on, she says there is "never an end" to losing somebody but it is about "managing each day".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
More importantly, the bond market’s reaction may suggest that the Treasury Department’s actions are losing their influence.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
She wished she hadn’t had to trade getting to be with her mother for losing proximity to her best friend.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
