lost

American  

[lawst, lost] / lɔst, lɒst /

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.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. simple past tense and past participle of lose.

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.

lost British  

/ 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

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lost More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• unlost adjective

Etymology

Origin of lost

First recorded in 1530–40, for the adjective

Example Sentences

One recent example occurred in February 2022, when 38 of 49 Starlink satellites belonging to US space company SpaceX were lost just two days after launch due to heightened solar activity.

From Science Daily

When both systems were lost, labor was significantly impaired.

From Science Daily

Airlines lost booking momentum when some customers turned skittish and made other plans ahead of Thanksgiving holiday as the shutdown ground on.

From MarketWatch

The shares lost a third of their value.

From The Wall Street Journal

Large parts of the coastline have been lost to erosion, which was accelerated this month following bad weather.

From BBC

Related Words

• absent
• adrift
• disoriented
• hidden
• invisible
• misplaced
• vanished