lose out

British  

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to be defeated or unsuccessful

2. to fail to secure or make use of

   we lost out on the sale

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lose out Idioms  

1. Fail to succeed, be defeated, as in The election's over, and you've lost out . [Mid-1800s]

2. Also, . Miss an opportunity to participate, as in We came so late that we lost out on our chance to see her dance , or The Republicans lost out in last fall's elections . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s] Also see miss out on .

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Example Sentences

According to the Keep Britain Working report, produced by Sir Charlie Mayfield last year, a young person in their 20s going on benefits could lose out on £1m of lifetime earnings – the same figure as the state would then spend supporting them.

From BBC

"Specifically billions for our exporters -- everyone will earn, Ukraine will earn, we won't lose out."

From Barron's

Daniel Crane, a University of Michigan antitrust professor, said he believes that customers lose out when carmakers are forced to sell through dealers only.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Fifa point to their unconfirmed sales figures as validation of their unfair ticket practices, while the reality is they leave loyal fans with no other choice - pay up or lose out," Evain said.

From BBC

Dimon has been skeptical of the private-credit boom but also allowed the bank to wade deeper into it to ensure it didn’t lose out on fees and deals from big private-equity clients.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• break down
• decline
• fall