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

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

It was a surprise result with Monaco ending a run of three consecutive Ligue 1 losses which had seen them lose ground on PSG and the other sides at the top of the table.

From Barron's

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

From Barron's

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

From Barron's

But Alibaba could lose ground in other areas.

From Barron's