loser

American  

[loo-zer] / ˈlu zər /

noun

1. a person, team, nation, etc., that loses.

   The visiting team was the loser in the series.

2. Informal.

   1. a person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor or, especially, a felony.

      a two-time loser.

   2. a person who has failed at a particular activity.

      a loser at marriage.

   3. someone or something that is marked by consistently or thoroughly bad quality, performance, etc. (winner ).

      Don't bother to see that film, it's a real loser.

3. Slang. a misfit, especially someone who has never or seldom been successful at a job, personal relationship, etc.

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loser British  

/ ˈluːzə /

noun

1. a person or thing that loses

2. a person or thing that seems destined to be taken advantage of, fail, etc

   a born loser

3. bridge a card that will not take a trick

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loser Idioms  

1. see under finders, keepers.

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Other Word Forms

• nonloser noun

Etymology

Origin of loser

1300–50; Middle English losere destroyer; lose, -er ¹

Example Sentences

That does not mean there are no other winners and losers from England's latest calamity down under.

From BBC

That isn’t to say that the AI trade is going away — although more turbulence could be in store, as investors appear increasingly willing to differentiate between winners and losers.

From MarketWatch

That isn’t to say that the AI trade is going away — although more turbulence could be in store, as investors appear increasingly willing to differentiate between winners and losers.

From MarketWatch

So if you are correct half the time, you will be a consistent loser.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rather, 2026 will be another year of separating the winners from the losers, they write, noting that Snowflake and Datadog are particularly well positioned to win.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• also-ran
• underdog