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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lose ground

The company has long relied on this high-yielding equity as its primary engine to bankroll Bitcoin acquisitions—a strategy that backfires when the shares lose ground.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

The move also leaves Honda with very few EVs to sell around the world, causing it to lose ground to Chinese and South Korean competitors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

While a derby defeat to Lille last weekend did see them lose ground on PSG, Lens remain the most credible challenger to the league leaders heading into this season's final straight.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

The market, however, might find out soon enough which software players will actually lose ground to AI—contrary to the idea that any potential loss of market share is years away.

From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026

But all students in a bad school, black and white, do lose ground to students in good schools.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt