lost on one

Idioms

Have no effect or influence on one, as in Ned's attempts at humor were lost on Meg, or David's kindness was not lost on his aunt. This expression uses lost in the sense of “wasted.” [c. 1600] Also see you've lost me.

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.

The economic potential for the road was not lost on one Labour MS who commissioned a report by a think tank into it back in 2021.

From BBC • May 30, 2025

“Over 60 lives lost on one stretch of our iconic Pacific Coast Highway is unacceptable — it’s a call to action,” Newsom said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2024

“The totals market will actually be the most money we’ve ever lost on one market,” Scott said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2023

That the resolution only echoed rules laid out decades ago was not lost on one of its main proponents, Gerard van Bohemen, the ambassador of New Zealand.

From New York Times • May 3, 2016

He even had the goodness to save my life the day we got lost on one of your New Hampshire mountains.

From The Story of Sugar by Bassett, Sara Ware

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023