loss leader

American  

noun

1. a popular article that is sold at a very low price or at a loss for the purpose of attracting customers to a retail store.

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loss leader British  

noun

1. an article offered below cost in the hope that customers attracted by it will buy other goods

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Other Word Forms

• loss-leading
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of loss leader

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loss leader

It leaves some customers comparing the cost to Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie, a loss leader that results in added sales by getting customers in the warehouse retailer’s door.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Personal fame was a loss leader to sell stuff.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025

A loss leader and a billboard food for nearly every casino on the Strip, prime rib became the perfect dish for a town branding itself as the vacationland of middle-class luxury.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

It admitted that the dress was a "loss leader", simply designed to draw people in to its website although the firm would not make any money from it.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2023

I just have to write the truck off as a short-term loss leader, because when it comes down to it, I’m no longer in a position to negotiate.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman