lose Meaning, Definition & Usage
-
verb fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
- She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat
-
verb fail to win
- We lost the battle but we won the war
-
verb suffer the loss of a person through death or removal
- She lost her husband in the war
- The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her
-
verb place (something) where one cannot find it again
mislay; misplace.
- I misplaced my eyeglasses
-
verb miss from one's possessions; lose sight of
- I've lost my glasses again!
-
verb allow to go out of sight
- The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light
-
verb fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit
turn a loss.
- I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!
- The company turned a loss after the first year
-
verb fail to get or obtain
- I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad
-
verb retreat
drop off; fall back; fall behind; recede.
-
verb fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
miss.
- I missed that remark
- She missed his point
- We lost part of what he said
-
verb be set at a disadvantage
suffer.
- This author really suffers in translation
WordNet
Lose transitive verb
Etymology
OE.Wordforms
Definitions
-
To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.; to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or pocket, or in business or gaming; tolose an arm or a leg by amputation; tolose men in battle.Fair Venus wept the sad disaster Of having lost her favorite dove. Prior.
-
To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; tolose one's health.If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted ? Matt. v. 13.
-
Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; tolose the benefits of instruction.The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose. Dryden.
-
To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to go astray from; as, to .lose one's wayHe hath lost his fellows. Shak
-
To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was .lost on the ledgeThe woman that deliberates is lost. Addison.
-
To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the whereabouts of; as, he .lost his companion in the crowdLike following life thro' creatures you dissect, You lose it in the moment you detect. Pope
. -
To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence, to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I .lost a part of what he saidHe shall in no wise lose his reward. Matt. x. 42.
I fought the battle bravely which I lost, And lost it but to Macedonians. Dryden.
-
To cause to part with; to deprive of. R.How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves with so much passion ? Sir W. Temple.
-
To prevent from gaining or obtaining. O false heart ! thou hadst almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory. Baxter.
Lose intransitive verb
Definitions
To suffer loss, disadvantage, or defeat; to be worse off, esp. as the result of any kind of contest. We 'll . . . hear poor rogues Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too, Who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out. Shak.