lose

[ looz ]

/ luz /

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See synonyms for: lose / loses / losing / lost on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), lost

[lawst, lost], /lɔst, lɒst/, los·ing

[loo-zing]. /ˈlu zɪŋ/.

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), lost, los·ing.

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 Phrases

lose out, to suffer defeat or loss; fail to obtain something desired: He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.

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Idioms about lose

lose face. face (def. 53).

lose something in translation. See entry at lose in translation.

lose it, Informal. to suddenly lose control of one's emotions: When he said he loved me, I nearly lost it.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM lose

re·lose, verb (used with object), re·lost, re·los·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lose

1. loose, loosen, lose 2. lose , loss

Words nearby lose

Los Altos, Los Angeles, losartan potassium, Los Banos, Loschmidt's number, lose, lose face, lose ground, lose heart, lose in translation, lose it

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

LOSE VS. LOOSE

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.

Quiz yourself on lose vs. loose!

Should lose or loose be used in the following sentence?

I don’t want to _____ this game!

How to use lose in a sentence

The Cornhuskers, who returned to play Saturday, have relied on quick turnarounds between matchups in the hopes of making up their lost games.
In schedule shuffle, Maryland will host Nebraska on back-to-back days next week|Emily Giambalvo|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
His name was lost among the dozens of teenagers chasing the dream of playing abroad, kids contracted by first-tier clubs and toiling in the developmental flights.
Matthew Hoppe was a little-known American soccer player — until he reached the Bundesliga|Steven Goff|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
With their NCAA tournament hopes flickering, the Terrapins lost, 73-65, at Xfinity Center after allowing the Buckeyes to control the game in the second half.
Maryland misses a chance to boost its NCAA tournament hopes with a loss to No. 4 Ohio State|Emily Giambalvo|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
For the most part, as soon as one team started losing, players on that team would begin to quit, with AI players taking their position.
Keep the football mode in ‘Rocket League,’ you cowards|Mikhail Klimentov|February 8, 2021|Washington Post

TNT, which broadcasts the All-Star Game, would lose big in this scenario, and Silver might face criticism for bowing to the stars’ complaints.
Four options for an NBA All-Star Game that the star players don’t seem to want|Ben Golliver|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
A lot of people ring in the New Year with vows to lose weight and exercise.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Specifically, the pilots got themselves into a high altitude stall, where the wings lose the capacity to provide lift.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The problem, says UC Davis physiologist and nutritionist Linda Bacon, is that very few people can lose weight and keep it off.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I guess it was their first incident where they lose a plane,” said Dobersberger, the travel agent.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370|Lennox Samuels|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If anything, it would lose money gently, elegantly, hopefully not very much at one time.
The Bookstore That Bewitched Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Greta Garbo|Felice Picano|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was not a moment to lose, for one well-directed shot might exterminate half of us.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
That he might lose his head and 'introduce an element of sex' was conscience confessing that it had been already introduced.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Speaking with a certain dignity and using the language of the court, he said that they had not a moment to lose.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Fearing to lose his way, he bawls over the banister, and through the corridors, “Is any one there?”
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
When Tim hesitates he loses his temper as a sensible man should lose it—he buries it, and his indomitable good humor wins.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for lose

lose

/ (luːz) /

verb loses, losing or lost (mainly tr)

to part with or come to be without, as through theft, accident, negligence, etc

to fail to keep or maintainto lose one's balance

to suffer the loss or deprivation ofto lose a parent

to cease to have or possess

to fail to get or make use ofto 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 understandI lost the gist of his speech

to wasteto lose money gambling

to wander from so as to be unable to findto lose one's way

to cause the loss ofhis delay lost him the battle

to allow to go astray or out of sightwe lost him in the crowd

(usually passive) to absorb or engrosshe was lost in contemplation

(usually passive) to cause the death or destruction oftwo men were lost in the attack

to outdistance or eludehe soon lost his pursuers

(intr) to decrease or depreciate in value or effectivenesspoetry 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

motor racing slang to lose control of (the car), as on a bendhe lost it going into Woodcote

lose it slang to lose control of oneself or one's temper

Derived forms of lose

losable, adjectivelosableness, noun

Word Origin for lose

Old English losian to perish; related to Old English -lēosan as in forlēosan to forfeit. Compare loose

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with lose

lose

In addition to the idioms beginning with lose

lose face
lose ground
lose heart
lose it
lose no time
lose one's bearings
lose one's buttons
lose one's cool
lose oneself in
lose one's grip
lose one's head
lose one's hear to
lose one's lunch
lose one's marbles
lose one's mind
lose one's nerve
lose one's shirt
lose one's temper
lose one's touch
lose out
lose sight of
lose sleep over
lose the thread
lose time
lose touch
lose track

also see:

get (lose) one's bearings
keep (lose) one's cool
keep (lose) track
win some, lose some

Also see underlosinglost.

lose

Idioms about lose

Origin of lose

OTHER WORDS FROM lose

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lose

Words nearby lose

LOSE VS. LOOSE

What's the difference between lose and loose?

Quiz yourself on lose vs. loose!

Words related to lose

How to use lose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lose

Derived forms of lose

Word Origin for lose

Other Idioms and Phrases with lose