lose
verb
\ ˈlüz
\
\
lost\ ˈlȯst
\;
losing\ ˈlü-ziŋ
\
\;
losing\ ˈlü-ziŋ
\
Definition of lose
1a
: to bring to destruction
—used chiefly in passive construction the ship was lost on the reef
b
: damn
if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul — Matthew 16:26 (King James Version)
2
: to miss from one's possession or from a customary or supposed place
lost his glove
3
: to suffer deprivation of : part with especially in an unforeseen or accidental manner
lost his leg in an auto accident
4a
: to suffer loss through the death or removal of or final separation from (a person)
lost a son in the war
b
: to fail to keep control of orallegiance (see allegiance sense 2) of
lose votes lost his temper
5a
: to fail to use : let slip by : waste
no time to lose
b(1)
: to fail to win, gain, or obtain
lose a prize lose a contest
(2)
: to undergo defeat in
lost every battle
c
: to fail to catch with the senses or the mind
lost what she said
6
: to cause the loss of
7
: to fail to keep, sustain, or maintain
lost my balance
8a
: to cause to miss one's way or bearings
lost himself in the maze of streets
b
: to make (oneself) withdrawn from immediate reality
lost herself in daydreaming
9a
: to wander or go astray from
lost his way
b
: to draw away from : outstrip
lost his pursuers
10
: to fail to keep in sight or in mind
lost the thief in the crowded street
11
: to free oneself from : get rid of
dieting to lose weight
1
: to undergo deprivation of something of value
investors lost heavily
2
: to undergo defeat
lose with good grace
3
of a timepiece
: to run slow
lose ground
lose it
lose one's heart
: to suffer loss or disadvantage : fail to advance or improve
1
: to fail to maintain a hold on reality
also
: to go crazy
2
: to become overwhelmed with strong emotion : lose one's composure
so angry I almost lost it
: to fall in love
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Other Words from lose
losable
\ ˈlü-zə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
losableness
noun
Examples of lose in a Sentence
She's always losing her gloves.
Hold my hand: I don't want to lose you.
We lost the game by a score of 4–2.
He lost his title in the rematch.
The team lost three games but won the next four.
The team lost in the finals.
an athlete known for losing with grace
He hates to lose when money is involved.
How could she play that well and still lose?
The country lost its independence 50 years ago.
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Recent Examples on the Web
James Charles, the first male face of CoverGirl, was absolutely obliterated after feuding with another beauty YouTuber, losing more than 3 million followers on Instagram over the course of a few days. — Alain Sylvain, Quartz at Work, "What happens when social media’s “cancel culture” misses the point?," 1 Aug. 2019 Quantum mechanics requires that as particles evolve, information about their past is never lost. — Quanta Magazine, "The Universal Law That Aims Time’s Arrow," 1 Aug. 2019 Sticking with our obesity example, there is evidence that high fat, low sugar diets, generally known as ketogenic diets, are great for losing weight and preventing diabetes; the improvement can be assessed by measuring one’s blood glucose levels. — Wired, "Philanthropy and the Challenge of Quantifying Success," 30 July 2019 The lawsuit, which was seeking to recover the money the NRA had supposedly lost as a result of the New York officials’ actions, became the centerpiece of an urgent fundraising campaign. — Mike Spies, ProPublica, "New Documents Raise Ethical and Billing Concerns About the NRA’s Outside Counsel," 30 July 2019 Poway beat Beach Softball 6-3 but lost to East County 4-1 on Saturday. — Pomerado News, "Local teams make strong showings at Western Nationals," 29 July 2019 Studies from South Africa, Australia and Brazil indicate that unique biodiversity is lost as tree cover increases. — Caroline Lehmann, Quartz Africa, "When tree planting actually damages ecosystems," 28 July 2019 Firestone was supposed to be in the party, but his car had gotten lost. — Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, "Henry Ford and Thomas Edison steered Americans toward a love of road trips," 28 July 2019 The fact Hardy has been fed competition that would lose to Glass Joe in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out also says something. — Dave Doyle, MMA Junkie, "Greg Hardy can keep winning, but we can't move on from his past just yet | Opinion," 21 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for lose