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

Phil Spencer, 58 years old, will depart after helping to build the company up as a videogames powerhouse only to see it lose ground in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

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

From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025

But the accounts given by survivors are an ominous warning of what could happen elsewhere in Myanmar as the military continues to lose ground to an increasingly confident and capable armed opposition movement.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2024

McIlroy entered the day three shots behind Schauffele, but managed to lose ground despite not making a bogey.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

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