lost

American  

[lawst, lost] / lɔst, lɒst /

adjective

1. no longer possessed or retained.

   lost friends.

   Synonyms:

   past , former

2. no longer to be found.

   lost articles.

3. having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, etc..

   lost children.

   Synonyms:

   missing , absent

4. not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor; wasted.

   a lost advantage.

5. being something that someone has failed to win.

   a lost prize.

6. ending in or attended with defeat.

   a lost battle.

7. destroyed or ruined.

   lost ships.

8. preoccupied; rapt.

   He seems lost in thought.

9. distracted; distraught; desperate; hopeless.

   the lost look of a man trapped and afraid.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. simple past tense and past participle of lose.

idioms

1. get lost,

   1. to absent oneself.

      I think I'll get lost before an argument starts.

   2. to stop being a nuisance.

      If they call again, tell them to get lost.

2. lost to,

   1. no longer belonging to.

   2. no longer possible or open to.

      The opportunity was lost to him.

   3. insensible to.

      lost to all sense of duty.

lost British  

/ lɒst /

adjective

1. unable to be found or recovered

2. unable to find one's way or ascertain one's whereabouts

3. confused, bewildered, or helpless

   he is lost in discussions of theory

4. (sometimes foll by on) not utilized, noticed, or taken advantage of (by)

   rational arguments are lost on her

5. no longer possessed or existing because of defeat, misfortune, or the passage of time

   a lost art

6. destroyed physically

   the lost platoon

7. (foll by to) no longer available or open (to)

8. (foll by to) insensible or impervious (to a sense of shame, justice, etc)

9. (foll by in) engrossed (in)

   he was lost in his book

10. morally fallen

    a lost woman

11. damned

    a lost soul

12. informal  (usually imperative) go away and stay away

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lost More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing lost

• get lost
• he who hesitates is lost
• lose
• make up for lost time
• no love lost
• you've lost me

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Other Word Forms

• unlost adjective

Etymology

Origin of lost

First recorded in 1530–40, for the adjective

Example Sentences

I covered City against Leeds on Saturday and they got lucky, while away from home they have lost three times already.

From BBC

Vistra stock has lost momentum over the past three months, falling 5.4%, partly due to a miss on earnings expectations in its most recent report.

From Barron's

That confidence stems from O'Neill's success on the field in the past five weeks, when he has lost only once - 3-1 at Midtjylland in the Europa League.

From BBC

At least 151 people died and many of the complex’s 4,600 residents, including seniors who had lived there for decades, lost their homes.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Nothing is lost, even if the number is small, and even if the challenges that we have are definitely big ones.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absent
• adrift
• disoriented
• hidden
• invisible
• misplaced
• vanished