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Synonyms

lose ground

Idioms  

  1. Fail to hold one's position; fall behind, deteriorate. For example, The Democrats were losing ground in this district, or We thought Grandma was getting better, but now she's quickly losing ground. This expression originally referred to territory lost by a retreating army. [Second half of 1700s]

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.

Phil Spencer, 58 years old, will depart after helping to build the company up as a videogames powerhouse only to see it lose ground in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Equities tend to lose ground as such uncertainty rises, as investors demand greater potential return to compensate for the additional risk.

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

Bompastor's side remain on course to win a quadruple and will not want to lose ground in any competition.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2025

If he leaves school, the Cougars will lose ground in the next edition of the Best of the West.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2024

Would an all-out rupture between the two of them cause the whole civil rights movement to lose ground?

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

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.