lost

[lawst, lost]

adjective

1. no longer possessed or retained.

   lost friends.

   Synonyms: past, former

2. no longer to be found.

   lost articles.

3. having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, etc..

   lost children.

   Synonyms: missing, absent

4. not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor; wasted.

   a lost advantage.

5. being something that someone has failed to win.

   a lost prize.

6. ending in or attended with defeat.

   a lost battle.

7. destroyed or ruined.

   lost ships.

8. preoccupied; rapt.

   He seems lost in thought.

9. distracted; distraught; desperate; hopeless.

   the lost look of a man trapped and afraid.

verb (used with or without object)

1. simple past tense and past participle of lose.

lost

/ lɒst /

adjective

1. unable to be found or recovered

2. unable to find one's way or ascertain one's whereabouts

3. confused, bewildered, or helpless

   he is lost in discussions of theory

4. (sometimes foll by on) not utilized, noticed, or taken advantage of (by)

   rational arguments are lost on her

5. no longer possessed or existing because of defeat, misfortune, or the passage of time

   a lost art

6. destroyed physically

   the lost platoon

7. (foll by to) no longer available or open (to)

8. (foll by to) insensible or impervious (to a sense of shame, justice, etc)

9. (foll by in) engrossed (in)

   he was lost in his book

10. morally fallen

    a lost woman

11. damned

    a lost soul

12. informal,  (usually imperative) go away and stay away

Other Word Forms

• unlost adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lost¹

First recorded in 1530–40, for the adjective

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get lost,

   1. to absent oneself.

      I think I'll get lost before an argument starts.

   2. to stop being a nuisance.

      If they call again, tell them to get lost.

2. lost to,

   1. no longer belonging to.

   2. no longer possible or open to.

      The opportunity was lost to him.

   3. insensible to.

      lost to all sense of duty.

More idioms and phrases containing lost

• get lost
• he who hesitates is lost
• lose
• make up for lost time
• no love lost
• you've lost me

Example Sentences

Each year Ellie Goan hangs two special decorations on her Christmas tree, a star and bauble - reminders of the two pregnancies she lost.

Read more on BBC

We lost him about three years later, but now my mom is critically ill.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But after their first home league defeat since March, Sale have now lost three successive Prem games and remain in seventh.

Read more on BBC

"We lost contact after Llandovery. I suppose he has thousands of people messaging him now. But I've spoken to him from time to time and it's been nice when we've crossed paths on the pitch."

Read more on BBC

"Because of the chaotic nature of the evacuation, information was lost and some checks weren't run until the migrants were already out of Afghanistan."

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Related Words

• absent 
• adrift 
• disoriented 
• hidden 
• invisible 
• misplaced www.thesaurus.com
• vanished www.thesaurus.com