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

Hamilton followed Leclerc within two seconds for a further 10 laps before slowly starting to lose ground a couple of laps before the VSC.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

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

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

While Somalia continues to lose ground to the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, Somaliland has maintained peace and democratic governance for more than three decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

Would an all-out rupture between the two of them cause the whole civil rights movement to lose ground?

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

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