lost
Americanadjective
-
no longer possessed or retained.
lost friends.
-
no longer to be found.
lost articles.
-
having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, etc..
lost children.
-
not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor; wasted.
a lost advantage.
-
being something that someone has failed to win.
a lost prize.
-
ending in or attended with defeat.
a lost battle.
-
destroyed or ruined.
lost ships.
-
He seems lost in thought.
-
distracted; distraught; desperate; hopeless.
the lost look of a man trapped and afraid.
verb (used with or without object)
idioms
-
get lost,
-
to absent oneself.
I think I'll get lost before an argument starts.
-
to stop being a nuisance.
If they call again, tell them to get lost.
-
-
lost to,
-
no longer belonging to.
-
no longer possible or open to.
The opportunity was lost to him.
-
insensible to.
lost to all sense of duty.
-
adjective
-
unable to be found or recovered
-
unable to find one's way or ascertain one's whereabouts
-
confused, bewildered, or helpless
he is lost in discussions of theory
-
(sometimes foll by on) not utilized, noticed, or taken advantage of (by)
rational arguments are lost on her
-
no longer possessed or existing because of defeat, misfortune, or the passage of time
a lost art
-
destroyed physically
the lost platoon
-
(foll by to) no longer available or open (to)
-
(foll by to) insensible or impervious (to a sense of shame, justice, etc)
-
(foll by in) engrossed (in)
he was lost in his book
-
morally fallen
a lost woman
-
damned
a lost soul
-
informal (usually imperative) go away and stay away
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lost
First recorded in 1530–40, for the adjective
Explanation
The adjective lost describes anything that can't be found, like your favorite pair of sunglasses that you left on a table at the library and never saw again. Beloved hand-knit scarves can be lost, and so can wandering pet goats. A person can get lost in the unfamiliar, winding streets of a strange city. You can also describe someone as lost if they're confused or desperately in need of some kind of help. The origins of the word lost come from the Proto-Indo-European leu, "to loosen, untie, or separate". The meaning "to be defeated," like when you've lost a game or lost a battle, came later, around 1530.
Vocabulary lists containing lost
"Brothers in Hope"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 8
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fear of widespread jobs lost to AI remain just fears; unemployment is actually pretty low.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The City of Angels lost nearly 10,000 residents last year.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Despite a surge in funding at the end to circulate his countermessaging, Roy lost to Middleton by 10 points Tuesday night.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
To have a company that has lost more than $8.5 billion over the past three years potentially carry a valuation north of $1.5 trillion certainly defies typical valuation metrics.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
I had not cried the night of the invasion but I cried now, for our country was lost.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
