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. get lost informal.
    usually imperative go away and stay away

Other Words From

• un·lost adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lost¹

First recorded in 1530–40, for the adjective

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. get lost, Slang.
   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
• make up for lost time
• no love lost
• you've lost me
• lose

Example Sentences

All three candidates lost — Lamm received just 13,000 votes — bringing an end to what Pope described as the first modern battle to bring white supremacy into mainstream America under the guise of environmentalism.

From Salon

Having lost the backing of the Sierra Club, America’s anti-immigration movement turned more explicitly to climate change — and to one of Zuckerman’s Sierra Club colleagues, Leon Kolankiewicz, an environmental planner versed in sprawl and impact studies and a longtime proponent of the idea that the planet had a limited carrying capacity.

From Salon

“Many people think that the fight for America is already lost,” Crusius wrote.

From Salon

His side lost 3-2 to Poland despite roaring back from 2-0 down at half-time.

From BBC

Borthwick's side have lost five of their past six matches, including narrow defeats by New Zealand and Australia this autumn.

From BBC

Related Words

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