lose one's grip

Idioms  

1. Also lose it.

2. Fail to maintain control or one's ability to function, as in Ted wasn't running things the way he used to, and his boss thought he might be losing his grip , or I thought I was losing it when I couldn't remember the words to that old song . The first term dates from the mid-1800s, the slangy variant from the mid-1900s.

3. Fail to keep one's composure, as in When Billy broke the window, Dad just lost his grip and let him have it , or I just can't deal with this many visitors—I must be losing it . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s] Also see lose one's temper .

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Example Sentences

To redden and blow is to lose one’s grip on reality—the act of yelling is either played for laughs or it’s indicative of some pathological fissure.

From The New Yorker

“The Bell Jar” is about the way this country was in the 1950s and about the way it is to lose one’s grip on sanity and recover it again.

From New York Times

But to rely on them for truth is to lose one's grip on what is continuous and whole.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Never lose one's grip on life," she answered simply.

From Project Gutenberg