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

Is it part of a plan to re-enter politics in the next election after he lost his seat in July?

From BBC

“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews, because as you know I’ve lost my eyesight, so it’s hard for me to see it,” he said, wearing bright red sunglasses.

From New York Times

St. Augustine lost numerous players who transferred out following a coaching change after last season.

From Los Angeles Times

“I journeyed so long in my mind, but it was so dark in this foreign place,” he intones, in Fon, the nearly eradicated language of Dahomey, “that I lost myself in my dreams.”

From Los Angeles Times

The offensive swoon, beginning with the second half against Cincinnati, also includes 12 punts, seven field goals and two lost fumbles.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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