lose

[ looz ]

verb (used with object)

, lost [lawst, lost], los·ing [loo, -zing].

1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery:

   I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.

2. to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered:

   I just lost a dime under this sofa.

3. to suffer the deprivation of:

   to lose one's job; to lose one's life.

4. to be bereaved of by death:

   to lose a sister.

5. to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain:

   to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.

6. (of a clock or watch) to run slower by:

   The watch loses three minutes a day.

7. to give up; forfeit the possession of:

   to lose a fortune at the gaming table.

8. to get rid of:

   to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight; She needs to lose those bangs!

9. to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively):

   Ship and crew were lost.

10. to condemn to hell; damn.
11. to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc.:

    to lose him in the crowd.

12. to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.):

    to lose one's bearings.

13. to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.; outstrip:

    She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.

14. to use to no purpose; waste:

    to lose time in waiting.

15. to fail to get or take advantage of; miss:

    to lose an opportunity.

16. to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.):

    to lose a bet.

17. to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.):

    He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.

18. to cause the loss of:

    The delay lost the battle for them.

19. to let (oneself) go astray, miss the way, etc.:

    We lost ourselves in the woods.

20. to allow (oneself) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else:

    I had lost myself in thought.

21. (of a physician or other medical personnel) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient):

    The doctor came out of the operating room and sadly said, “So sorry. We lost him.”

22. (of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.

verb (used without object)

, lost, los·ing.

1. to suffer loss:

   to lose on a contract.

2. to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game:

   We played well, but we lost.

3. to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality:

   a classic that loses in translation.

4. (of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.

verb phrase

1. to suffer defeat or loss; fail to obtain something desired:

   He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.

lose

/ luːz /

verb

1. to part with or come to be without, as through theft, accident, negligence, etc
2. to fail to keep or maintain

   to lose one's balance

3. to suffer the loss or deprivation of

   to lose a parent

4. to cease to have or possess
5. to fail to get or make use of

   to lose a chance

6. also intr to fail to gain or win (a contest, game, etc)

   to lose the match

7. to fail to see, hear, perceive, or understand

   I lost the gist of his speech

8. to waste

   to lose money gambling

9. to wander from so as to be unable to find

   to lose one's way

10. to cause the loss of

    his delay lost him the battle

11. to allow to go astray or out of sight

    we lost him in the crowd

12. usually passive to absorb or engross

    he was lost in contemplation

13. usually passive to cause the death or destruction of

    two men were lost in the attack

14. to outdistance or elude

    he soon lost his pursuers

15. intr to decrease or depreciate in value or effectiveness

    poetry always loses in translation

16. also intr (of a timepiece) to run slow (by a specified amount)

    the clock loses ten minutes every day

17. (of a physician) to fail to sustain the life of (a patient)
18. (of a woman) to fail to give birth to (a viable baby), esp as the result of a miscarriage
19. slang.
    motor racing to lose control of (the car), as on a bend

    he lost it going into Woodcote

20. lose it slang.
    to lose control of oneself or one's temper

Derived Forms

• ˈlosable, adjective
• ˈlosableness, noun

Other Words From

• re·lose verb (used with object) relost relosing

Word History and Origins

Origin of lose¹

First recorded in before 900; Middle English losen, Old English -lēosan; replacing Middle English lesen, itself also reflecting Old English -lēosan; cognate with German verlieren, Gothic fraliusan “to lose”; loss

Word History and Origins

Origin of lose¹

Old English losian to perish; related to Old English -lēosan as in forlēosan to forfeit. Compare loose

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. lose it, Informal. to suddenly lose control of one's emotions:

   When he said he loved me, I nearly lost it.

2. lose face. face ( def 53 ).
3. lose something in translation. lose in translation.

More idioms and phrases containing lose

• get (lose) one's bearings
• keep (lose) one's cool
• keep (lose) track
• win some, lose some
• losing
• lost

Example Sentences

Ancient DNA provides a direct look at the genomes of individuals who lived closer in time to these events, allowing researchers to observe evolutionary changes before they were lost.

From Science Daily

Current anti-inflammatory treatments bring relief but often fall short, as patients can lose their response to these medications over time, suffer relapses, and experience significant side effects.

From Science Daily

On average, the group had lost 20% of their body weight if they had been on the medications for at least one year.

From Science Daily

Stapleton seemed poised to sweep the awards show but ultimately lost the top prize — entertainer of the year — to Morgan Wallen.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2022, the prestigious opera company was controversially told to leave the capital or lose its £12m annual Arts Council England subsidy, as part of an attempt to "level up" arts funding.

From BBC

Related Words

• drop
• fail
• forget
• give up
• squander
• suffer
• surrender
• waste

Lose Vs. Loose

What's the difference between lose and loose?

Lose is a verb most commonly meaning to fail to win or to misplace something, as in I hate to lose in chess or Don’t lose your key. Loose is most commonly used as an adjective meaning not tight or free or released from fastening, attachment, or restraint, as in a loose screw or Let him loose! 

Lose ends with a z sound and rhymes with choose. Loose ends with an s sound and rhymes with moose.

One reason that the two words are sometimes confused is that loose can also be used as a verb, most commonly meaning to free something from a restraint, as in loose the cannons! 

Perhaps the most common misuse of these words is when loose is used when lose should be. To remember the difference, remember this sentence: You could lose loose screws. (First comes the verb lose, with one o, followed by the adjective loose, with two o’s).

Here’s an example of lose and loose used correctly in a sentence.

Example: If you carry around loose cash, you could lose it—put it in your wallet.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between lose and loose.

Quiz yourself on lose vs. loose!

Should lose or loose be used in the following sentence?

I don’t want to _____ this game!