lose ground
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]
Words Nearby lose ground
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use lose ground in a sentence
And private sector unions have continued to lose ground in the Obama era, with membership continuing a 30-year decline.
The richest have already recovered; the middle continues to lose ground; the poorer lose ground even faster.
To see McChrystal go is to lose ground and have to restart the whole effort from scratch.
Insecurity would rise, the Taliban would gain power, and women and girls would immediately lose ground.
De Lisle says that where we have hand grenades we can advance still further; where we have not, we lose ground.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
They came on as fast as ever, while our movement had checked our flight somewhat and caused us to lose ground perceptibly.
In Hostile Red | Joseph AltshelerThe Bohemian began to lose ground in the highest courts of justice; gradually it was forced out from the inferior courts.
Bohemia under Hapsburg Misrule | VariousI suppose they didn't want to lose ground by yawing, but as they came abreast of us they both opened fire.
The Bravest of the Brave | G. A. HentyThe savages also, frightened by the noise of the cannon rather than their execution, commenced to lose ground.
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