at a loss
Idioms-
Below cost, as in The store was doing so badly that it was selling merchandise at a loss .
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Puzzled, perplexed, in a state of uncertainty, as in When his letters were returned unopened, John was at a loss as to what to do next . This usage was originally applied to hounds who had lost the scent or track of their prey. [Mid-1600s]
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at a loss for words . Unable or uncertain as to what to say. For example, Father's tirade left us all at a loss for words . [Late 1600s]
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.
"And then, unfortunately, the court handed down a suspended sentence. I don't want to pass judgement on that – that's the independence of the judiciary – but I'm really at a loss for words."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
I have been given the contact information for a friend, but beyond that, I am at a loss.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
AI remained in focus: Shares in Cerebras Systems slid 20% after it warned that it expects to keep operating at a loss, another reminder of the heavy costs of the artificial-intelligence build-out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The company still operates at a loss, and is not expected to show a profit until its $20 billion multiyear cloud contract with OpenAI accelerates next year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
These they made not so much for rest as to help Gollum; for now even he had to go forward with great care, and he was sometimes at a loss for a while.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
