lose ground

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]

Example Sentences

Equities tend to lose ground as such uncertainty rises, as investors demand greater potential return to compensate for the additional risk.

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But the peso continued to lose ground and monthly inflation has been creeping back up.

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But Alibaba could lose ground in other areas.

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But he is worried that Indian exporters may lose ground to African competitors who offer similar quality products at lower prices.

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In general terms, the pendulum effect familiar from American politics, where the party in power tends to lose ground in off-year elections, also applies across the pond.

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