lose out
Britishverb
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(intr, adverb) to be defeated or unsuccessful
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to fail to secure or make use of
we lost out on the sale
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Fail to succeed, be defeated, as in The election's over, and you've lost out . [Mid-1800s]
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Also, . Miss an opportunity to participate, as in We came so late that we lost out on our chance to see her dance , or The Republicans lost out in last fall's elections . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s] Also see miss out on .
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.
The Spanish giants aren't in need of another winger, but Diomande is such a fascinating prospect that chairman Florentino Perez and Madrid's management did not want to lose out.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
A grandchild who gets scholarships or attends a less expensive school doesn’t lose out.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
And if we just keep it isolated to Hollywood, I think we lose out at expressing everything we are as Americans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
But analysts and executives say these companies face uncertain demand for their specific products and that most are likely to lose out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
We didn’t want to lose out to the Italians or even that one Bulgarian.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
