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

Today I'm a loser, maybe tomorrow I'm a winner, maybe again a loser.

From BBC

The rise of artificial intelligence is still the tide driving tech, but a chip shortage and doubts about AI’s impact on the software sector are creating as many losers as winners.

From Barron's

Last year on the podcast “How to Survive the End of the World,” she announced: “We’re not hopeless, we’re not losers, and we’re not living in a static world which nothing can change.”

From Los Angeles Times

She isn’t a loser and she’s not doomed.

From Literature

This was helped by a turnaround for several states that went from net losers to gainers, including Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• also-ran
• underdog