lose
He lost his job.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
lose
verb (loses, losing, lost /, has lost)
1 to not be able to find something:
I can't open the door because I've lost my key.
2 to not have somebody or something that you had before:
I lost my job when the factory closed.
3 to not win:
Our team lost the match.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
lose
lose S1 W1 /luːz/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle lost /lɒst $ lɒːst/)
[Word Family: noun: ↑loser, ↑loss; verb: ↑lose; adjective: ↑lost]
[Language: Old English; Origin: losian 'to destroy or be destroyed, to lose']
1. STOP HAVING ATTITUDE/QUALITY ETC [transitive] to stop having a particular attitude, quality, ability etc, or to gradually have less of it ⇨ loss:
I’ve lost my appetite.
lose confidence/interest/hope etc
The business community has lost confidence in the government.
Carol lost interest in ballet in her teens.
Try not to lose heart (=become sad and hopeless) – there are plenty of other jobs.
lose face (=stop having as much respect from other people)
A settlement was reached in which neither side lost face.
lose weight/height/speed etc
You’re looking slim. Have you lost weight?
The plane emptied its fuel tanks as it started losing altitude.
lose your sight/hearing/voice/balance etc
Mr Eyer may lose the sight in one eye.
The tour was postponed when the lead singer lost his voice.
Julian lost his balance and fell.
lose your touch (=become less skilled at doing something you used to do well)
This latest movie proves Altman is by no means losing his touch.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Douglas had lost consciousness.
lose all sense of time/direction/proportion etc
When he was writing, he lost all sense of time.
lose sight of something (=forget an important fact about a situation)
We must never lose sight of the fact that man must work in harmony with nature.
2. NOT WIN [intransitive and transitive] to not win a game, argument, election, war etc OPP win ⇨ defeat:
They played so badly they deserved to lose.
Klinger lost his seat in the election.
Arkansas just lost three games in a row.
He just can’t bear to lose an argument.
lose to
The Beavers have dropped only one game since losing to Oregon in January.
lose (something) by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc
The government lost by one vote.
The Communist candidate lost by a whisker (=a very small amount).
Freddie died in 1982 after losing his battle against AIDS.
lose somebody something
It was a rash decision, and it lost him the race (=caused him to lose the race).
3. CANNOT FIND SOMETHING [transitive] to become unable to find someone or something:
I’ve lost the tickets for tonight’s show.
I followed her on foot, but lost her in the crowd.
It was thought the manuscript had been lost forever.
be/get lost in the post British English be/get lost in the mail American English:
The parcel must have got lost in the post.
lose track of something/somebody (=stop knowing where someone or something is)
He lost track of her after her family moved away.
lose sight of something/somebody (=stop being able to see someone or something)
Don’t try to walk in a heavy snowstorm as you may lose sight of your vehicle. ⇨ lost property
4. STOP HAVING SOMETHING [transitive] if you lose something that is important or necessary, you then no longer have it, especially because it has been taken from you or destroyed ⇨ loss:
David’s very upset about losing his job.
Hundreds of people lost their homes in the floods.
My family lost everything in the war.
He was over the limit and will lose his licence.
90 naval aircraft were lost and 31 damaged.
lose a chance/opportunity
If you hesitate, you may lose the opportunity to compete altogether.
lose something to somebody/something
We were losing customers to cheaper rivals.
She was about to lose her husband to a younger woman.
California has lost 90% of its wetlands to development.
lose an arm/leg/eye etc
He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident.
He’s lost a lot of blood but his life is not in danger.
lose somebody something
the mistakes which lost him his kingdom (=caused him to lose his kingdom)
5. DEATH [transitive]
a) lose your life to die:
a memorial to honor those who lost their lives in the war
b) if you lose a relative or friend, they die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’ ⇨ loss:
One woman in Brooklyn lost a husband and two sons in the gang wars.
Sadly, Anna lost the baby (=her baby died before it was born).
lose somebody to cancer/AIDS etc
He lost his father to cancer (=his father died of cancer) last year.
Peter was lost at sea when his ship sank.
6. MONEY [intransitive and transitive] if you lose money, you then have less money than you had before ⇨ loss
lose on
The company is in debt after losing an estimated $30 million on its dotcom enterprise.
Creditors and investors stand to lose (=risk losing) vast sums after the company’s collapse.
A lot of people lost their shirts (=lost a lot of money) on Ferraris in the eighties.
It’s a great deal – we can’t lose!
lose somebody something
The stock market crash lost the banks £70 million (=caused them to lose £70 million).
7. have nothing to lose spoken if you have nothing to lose, it is worth taking a risk because you cannot make your situation any worse:
You might as well apply for the job – you’ve got nothing to lose.
have nothing to lose but your pride/reputation etc
The working class has nothing to lose but its chains. (=disadvantages, restrictions etc).
have a lot/too much to lose (=used to say that you could make your situation much worse)
These youngsters know they have too much to lose by protesting against the system.
8. TIME [transitive]
a) if you lose time, you do not make progress as quickly as you want to or should
lose time/2 days/3 hours etc
Vital minutes were lost because the ambulance took half an hour to arrive.
In 1978, 29 million days were lost in industrial action.
Come on, there’s no time to lose (=do not waste time).
lose no time in doing something (=do something immediately)
Murdock lost no time in taking out a patent for his invention.
b) if a watch, clock etc loses time, it runs too slowly and shows an earlier time than it should OPP gain
9. lose your way/bearings
a) to stop knowing where you are or which direction you should go in:
I lost my way in the network of tiny alleys.
b) to become uncertain about your beliefs or what you should do:
The company seems to have lost its way of late.
10. lose touch (with somebody/something)
a) if two people lose touch, they gradually stop communicating, for example by no longer phoning or writing to each other:
I’ve lost touch with all my old school friends.
They lost touch when Di got married and moved away.
b) if you lose touch with a situation or group, you are then no longer involved in it and so do not know about it or understand it:
They claim the prime minister has lost touch with the party.
It sometimes appears that the planners have lost touch with reality.
11. lose your temper/cool/rag to become angry
lose your temper/cool/rag with
Diana was determined not to lose her temper with him.
12. lose your head to become unable to behave calmly or sensibly:
You’ve all heard that Nadal lost his head over a girl?
13. lose your mind to become crazy SYN go crazy, go mad:
Nicholas looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
14. lose it spoken informal
a) to become very angry and upset:
She completely lost it with one of the kids in class.
b) (also lose the plot) to become crazy or confused:
I could see people thinking I’d totally lost the plot.
15. lose yourself in something to be paying so much attention to something that you do not notice anything else:
She listened intently to the music, losing herself in its beauty.
16. ESCAPE [transitive] if you lose someone who is chasing you, you manage to escape from them:
There’s a better chance of losing him if we take the back route.
17. CONFUSE SOMEBODY [transitive] spoken informal to confuse someone when you are trying to explain something to them:
Explain it again – you’ve lost me already.
18. REMOVE SOMETHING [transitive] to remove a part or feature of something that is not necessary or wanted:
You could lose the last paragraph to make it fit on one page.
19. lose something in the translation/telling to be less good than the original form:
The joke loses something in the translation.
⇨ lost2, ⇨ lose count at count2(3), ⇨ lose sleep over something at sleep2(4)
lose out phrasal verb
to not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead:
The deal will ensure that shareholders do not lose out financially.
lose out to
He lost out to Roy Scheider for the lead role.
lose out on
Workers who don’t take up training may lose out on promotion.
lose out
lose out phrasal verb (see also ↑lose)
to not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead:
The deal will ensure that shareholders do not lose out financially.
lose out to
He lost out to Roy Scheider for the lead role.
lose out on
Workers who don’t take up training may lose out on promotion.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
lose
lose [lose loses lost losing] [luːz] [luːz] verb (lost, lost [lɒst] ; [lɔːst] ; [lɑːst] )
NOT FIND
1. transitive ~ sth/sb to be unable to find sth/sb
Syn: mislay
• I've lost my keys.
• The tickets seem to have got lost.
• She lost her husband in the crowd.
HAVE STH/SB TAKEN AWAY
2. transitive ~ sth/sb to have sth/sb taken away from you as a result of an accident, getting old, dying, etc
• She lost a leg in a car crash.
• to lose your hair/teeth (= as a result of getting old)
• He's lost his job.
• Some families lost everything (= all they owned) in the flood.
• They lost both their sons (= they were killed) in the war.
• The ship was lost at sea (= it sank).
• Many people lost their lives (= were killed).
3. transitive ~ sth (to sb/sth) to have sth taken away by sb/sth
• The company has lost a lot of business to its competitors.
4. transitive ~ sth to have to give up sth; to fail to keep sth
• You will lose your deposit if you cancel the order.
• Sit down or you'll lose your seat.
HAVE LESS
5. transitive ~ sth to have less and less of sth, especially until you no longer have any of it
• He lost his nerve at the last minute.
• She seemed to have lost interest in food.
• At that moment he lost his balance and fell.
• I've lost ten pounds since I started this diet.
• The train was losing speed.
NOT WIN
6. transitive, intransitive to be defeated; to fail to win a competition, a court case, an argument, etc
• ~ sth (to sb) to lose a game/a race/an election/a battle/a war
• ~ to sb We lost to a stronger team.
• ~ (sth) (by sth) He lost by less than 100 votes.
NOT KEEP
7. transitive, intransitive to fail to keep sth you want or need, especially money; to cause sb to fail to keep sth
• ~ sth The business is losing money.
• Poetry always loses something in translation.
• ~ sth (on sth/by doing sth) You have nothing to lose by telling the truth.
• ~ on sth/by doing sth We lost on that deal.
• ~ sb sth His carelessness lost him the job.
NOT UNDERSTAND/HEAR
8. transitive ~ sth to fail to get, hear or understand sth
• His words were lost (= could not be heard) in the applause.
9. transitive ~ sb (informal) to be no longer understood by sb
• I'm afraid you've lost me there.
ESCAPE
10. transitive ~ sb/sth to escape from sb/sth
Syn: evade, Syn: shake off
• We managed to lose our pursuers in the darkness.
TIME
11. transitive ~ sth to waste time or an opportunity
• We lost twenty minutes changing a tyre.
• Hurry— there's no time to lose!
• He lost no time in setting out for London.
12. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) if a watch or clock loses or loses time, it goes too slowly or becomes a particular amount of time behind the correct time
• This clock loses two minutes a day.
Opp: gain
Rem: Most idioms containing lose are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example lose your bearings is at bearing.
Idiom: lose it
Derived: lose out ▪ lose out to somebody ▪ lose yourself in something
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
Old English losian ‘perish, destroy’, also ‘become unable to find’, from los ‘loss’.
Thesaurus:
lose verb
1. T
• I've lost my keys.
forget • • leave • |especially BrE, formal mislay •
Opp: find
lose/forget/leave/mislay your keys/wallet/bag
2. I, T
• So far we haven't lost a game.
trail • • come off worse/worst •
Opp: win
lose/trail/come off worse in sth
lose/trail by sth
lose/trail badly
3. T
• Hurry— there's no time to lose.
disapproving waste • • throw sth away • • squander • |informal blow • • splurge •
Opp: save
lose/waste/throw away/squander/blow/splurge sth on sth
lose/waste/throw away/squander/blow/splurge money
lose/waste/throw away/squander/blow a/an fortune/chance/opportunity
Example Bank:
• Our company lost out to one that could offer a lower price.
• The company stands to lose financially if this deal falls through.
• The visiting side lost to the home team.
• There was really no shame in losing to Norton at that stage of his career.
• This is a game that Lazio cannot afford to lose.
• We cannot afford to lose any more senior members of staff.
• We lost against Albyn College.
• We lost by five goals to two.
• Win or lose, the important thing is to remain calm.
• You have nothing to lose by telling the truth.
• He lost the seat by less than 100 votes.
• He yesterday lost his appeal against a six-month ban.
• Here, tie it round your neck so you don't lose it.
• Hurry— there's no time to lose.
• I've lost my keys.
• If your cheque book is lost or stolen inform your bank immediately.
• Newcastle lost 1–0 in the rematch.
• She resigned as party leader after they lost the election.
• So far they haven't lost a game.
• The South lost the war.
• The tickets seem to have got lost.
• They deserved to lose.
• We lost a lot of money on that deal.
• We've lost Alfie— is he with you?
lose out (on something)
ˌlose ˈout (on sth) derived
(informal) to not get sth you wanted or feel you should have
• While the stores make big profits, it's the customer who loses out.
Main entry: losederived
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
lose / luːz / verb ( lost , lost ) (NOT HAVE)
A2 [ T ] to no longer have something because you do not know where it is, or because it has been taken away from you:
I've lost my ticket.
He's always losing his car keys.
At least 600 staff will lose their jobs if the firm closes.
He lost his leg in a car accident.
She lost her mother (= her mother died) last year.
→ See Note loose verb
B2 [ T ] to stop feeling something:
to lose confidence/faith
I lost interest halfway through the book.
He kept on crying and I lost my patience.
B1 [ T ] to have less of something than you had before:
I'm trying to lose weight.
He's losing his hair.
She lost a lot of blood in the accident.
to lose your memory/sight
B2 [ T ] If you lose time, you waste it:
Four million hours were lost last year through stress-related illnesses.
We lost valuable time stuck in traffic.
[ T ] If a clock loses time, it goes more slowly than it should:
My watch loses ten minutes every day.
[ T ] informal to get rid of something:
Lose the belt and let's see how the dress looks.
lose money, pounds, dollars, etc. C1 A business that is losing money is spending more money than it is receiving:
Banks will lose millions of pounds because of new legislation.
lose / luːz / verb [ I or T ] ( lost , lost ) (BE DEFEATED)
B1 to fail to succeed in a game, competition, etc.:
If we lose this game, we're out of the championship.
They're losing 3–1.
They lost to Arsenal.
Everyone hates losing an argument.
They hadn't lost an election in 15 years.
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
lose
[lu͟ːz]
loses, losing, lost
1) VERB If you lose a contest, a fight, or an argument, you do not succeed because someone does better than you and defeats you.
[V n] A C Milan lost the Italian Cup Final...
[V n] The government lost the argument over the pace of reform...
[V n] The Vietnam conflict ultimately was lost...
[V-ing] No one likes to be on the losing side.
2) VERB If you lose something, you do not know where it is, for example because you have forgotten where you put it.
[V n] I lost my keys...
[V n] I had to go back for my checkup; they'd lost my X-rays.
Syn:
mislay
3) VERB You say that you lose something when you no longer have it because it has been taken away from you or destroyed.
[V n] I lost my job when the company moved to another state.
[V n] He lost his licence for six months...
[V n] She was terrified they'd lose their home.
4) VERB If someone loses a quality, characteristic, attitude, or belief, they no longer have it.
[V n] He lost all sense of reason...
[V n] The government had lost all credibility...
He had lost his desire to live.
5) VERB If you lose an ability, you stop having that ability because of something such as an accident.
[V n] They lost their ability to hear...
[V n] He had lost the use of his legs.
6) VERB If someone or something loses heat, their temperature becomes lower.
[V n] Babies lose heat much faster than adults...
[V n] A lot of body heat is lost through the scalp.
7) VERB If you lose blood or fluid from your body, it leaves your body so that you have less of it.
[V n] The victim suffered a dreadful injury and lost a lot of blood...
[V n] During fever a large quantity of fluid is lost in perspiration.
8) VERB If you lose weight, you become less heavy, and usually look thinner.
[V n] I have lost a lot of weight...
[V n] Martha was able to lose 25 pounds.
9) VERB If you lose a part of your body, it is cut off in an operation or in a violent accident.
[V n] He lost a foot when he was struck by a train.
10) VERB If someone loses their life, they die.
[V n] ...the ferry disaster in 1987, in which 192 people lost their lives...
[V n] Hundreds of lives were lost in fighting.
11) VERB If you lose a close relative or friend, they die.
[V n] My Grandma lost her brother in the war.
12) VERB: usu passive If things are lost, they are destroyed in a disaster.
[be V-ed] ...the famous Nankin pottery that was lost in a shipwreck off the coast of China.
13) VERB If you lose time, something slows you down so that you do not make as much progress as you hoped.
[V n] They claim that police lost valuable time in the early part of the investigation...
[V n] Six hours were lost in all.
14) VERB If you lose an opportunity, you do not take advantage of it.
[V n] If you don't do it soon you're going to lose the opportunity...
[V n to-inf] They did not lose the opportunity to say what they thought of events.
[V-ed] ...a lost opportunity.
15) VERB If you lose yourself in something or if you are lost in it, you give a lot of attention to it and do not think about anything else.
[V pron-refl in n] Michael held on to her arm, losing himself in the music...
[be V-ed in n] He was lost in the contemplation of the landscape.
Syn:
absorb
16) VERB If a business loses money, it earns less money than it spends, and is therefore in debt.
[V n] His shops stand to lose millions of pounds...
[V n] $1 billion a year may be lost.
17) VERB If something loses you a contest or loses you something that you had, it causes you to fail or to no longer have what you had.
[V n n] My own stupidity lost me the match...
[V n n] His economic mismanagement has lost him the support of the general public.
18) → See also lost
19) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that you have nothing to lose, you mean that you will not suffer if your action is unsuccessful. If you say that you have much to lose, you mean that you may suffer if your action is unsuccessful.
They say they have nothing to lose and will continue protesting until the government vetos the agreement...
Both countries have much to lose if there is a war.
20) PHRASE: V inflects If someone loses it, they become extremely angry or upset. [INFORMAL]
I completely lost it. I went mad, berserk.
21) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone is losing it, you mean that they are becoming crazy. [INFORMAL]
I'm afraid he's really lost it.
22) PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to-inf (emphasis) If you say that someone loses no opportunity to do or say a particular thing, you are emphasizing that they do it or say it whenever it is possible.
The President has lost no opportunity to capitalise on his new position...
He said some sections of the press had lost no opportunity to create the impression that she was guilty.
23) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR in -ing (emphasis) If you say that someone loses no time in doing something, you are emphasizing that they act quickly in order to benefit from a situation.
Officials have lost no time in expressing their concern and grief over this incident...
Francine lost no time in defending herself.
24) PHRASE: V inflects If you lose your way, you become lost when you are trying to go somewhere.
The men lost their way in a sandstorm.
25) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone loses their way, you think they no longer have a clear idea of what they want to do or achieve.
For a while the artist completely lost his way. The famous humour gave way to sentimental nonsense...
If we cannot understand that there's an issue of principle here, then we have lost our way.
26) to lose your balance → see balance
to lose contact → see contact
to lose your cool → see cool
to lose face → see face
to lose your grip → see grip
to lose your head → see head
to lose heart → see heart
to lose your mind → see mind
to lose your nerve → see nerve
to lose the plot → see plot
to lose sight of → see sight
to lose your temper → see temper
to lose touch → see touch
to lose track of → see track
Phrasal Verbs:
- lose out
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
lose
lose /ˈluːz/ verb los·es; lost /ˈlɑːst/; los·ing
1 [+ obj] : to be unable to find (something or someone)
• She's always losing her gloves.
• Don't lose your keys.
• Hold my hand: I don't want to lose you.
• The police lost him in the crowd. [=the police were no longer able to find/see him after he went into the crowd]
• The airline lost my luggage. [=my luggage did not arrive at the airport I flew into]
• He lost the fly ball in the sun. [=he was unable to see the fly ball because he was looking toward the sun]
• The letter was lost in the mail. [=it was sent but never delivered to the person it was addressed to]
2 : to fail to win (a game, contest, etc.)
[+ obj]
• lose a battle/game
• She lost her bid for reelection. [=she failed to win the election; she was not reelected]
• We lost the game by a score of 4–2.
• He lost his title in the rematch.
• She lost the lawsuit.
• The team lost three games but won the next four.
[no obj]
• The team lost in the finals.
• an athlete known for losing with grace
• That horse always loses.
• He hates to lose when money is involved.
• How could she play that well and still lose?
- often + to
• The Yankees lost to the Red Sox.
3 a [+ obj] : to fail to keep or hold (something wanted or valued)
• lose an advantage
• The country lost its independence 50 years ago.
• The mayor is losing power/influence/support.
• He is in danger of losing control of the company.
• She lost control of the car and skidded off the road.
• I was so angry that I lost control (of myself, of my temper) and yelled at them.
• She didn't lose her job but she lost access to all confidential company materials.
• The senator lost votes when he angered some of his supporters.
• The religious community was losing its younger members.
• He hasn't lost his sense of humor.
• They had lost all hope of winning the title.
• I don't want anything to eat. I've lost my appetite. [=I no longer feel hungry]
• She began to lose confidence in herself. [=to feel less confident]
• Try not to lose patience with the children.
• The accident victim was rapidly losing blood.
• I'm sorry I'm late. I lost track of the time. [=I failed to stay aware of the time; I did not realize that so much time had passed]
• She lost her balance [=failed to keep her weight spread equally] and fell.
b
✦If you have nothing (else/left) to lose, you cannot make a situation worse by taking a risk. If you have a lot to lose or have too much to lose, you could make your situation much worse by taking a risk or doing something.
• You might as well apply for the job. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
• Some of them are married and have young children—they have a lot to lose.
• I can't quit now. I have too much to lose.
c : to fail to earn or keep (money)
[+ obj]
• They lost all their money/savings in a poor investment.
• The company has been losing money for the past several years. [=it has been spending more money than it has been earning]
[no obj]
• Investors lost heavily when the company's stock failed to meet expectations.
d [+ obj] : to have (something) taken from you or destroyed
• We lost (electrical) power during the storm.
• He lost an arm in the war. [=one of his arms was destroyed or so badly injured that it had to be removed]
• They lost everything in the fire. [=all their possessions were destroyed in the fire]
• He yelled so much during the game that he lost his voice [=he was unable to speak] for two days.
e [+ obj] : to gradually have less of (something) as time passes
• Many people who lose weight by dieting eventually gain the weight back.
• She has been losing strength in her legs.
• He was gradually losing his eyesight.
• He's losing his hair. [=becoming bald]
• The public seems to have lost interest in the case.
4 [+ obj] : to cause (someone) to fail to win or keep (something) : to cause the loss of (something) for (someone)
• One careless statement lost the election for her. = One careless statement lost her the election. [=she lost the election because of one careless statement]
5 a : to decrease in (something)
[+ obj]
• The TV program has lost popularity [=become less popular] in recent years.
• The plane was losing altitude.
• What will you do if the company's stock loses value when you expect it to gain value?
[no obj]
• What will you do if the stock loses when you expect it to gain?
b [+ obj] : to decrease in value by (a specified amount)
• His retirement account lost three percent last quarter.
c [no obj] : to decrease in value when compared to something else
• The dollar lost against the pound last week.
6 [+ obj]
a : to experience or suffer the death of (a relative, friend, etc.)
• She lost her husband in the war. [=her husband was killed in the war]
• He lost his best friend to cancer. [=his best friend died of cancer]
• The country lost thousands of young men in/during the war. = Thousands of young men were lost [=killed] in/during the war. = Thousands of young men lost their lives in/during the war.
• She's very sick, and the doctors say they're afraid they're going to lose her. [=they're afraid that she is going to die]
• I was sad to hear that she lost the baby. [=that her baby died before being born or soon after being born]
• a sailor who was lost at sea [=who died at sea]
b : to no longer have or be with (someone who leaves)
• We'll be sorry to lose you when you leave for your new job.
• He begged his wife to forgive him and told her that he didn't want to lose her.
7 [+ obj] : to fail to keep control of (something)
• He lost his temper/cool/composure. [=he became angry]
• She wondered if she was losing her mind/sanity. [=becoming insane]
• He seems to be losing his nerve. [=becoming afraid]
- see also lose your head at 1head
8 [+ obj]
a : to fail to use (something, such as time) : waste
• I don't want to lose this chance/opportunity.
• We lost (a good bit of) time in that traffic jam.
• She lost no time in getting the project started. [=she got the project started immediately]
• We need to get started immediately. There's no time to lose.
b of a watch or clock : to show a time that is earlier than the correct time : to run slow by (an amount of time)
[+ obj]
• My old watch loses a minute every day.
[no obj]
• a clock that loses less than any other clock yet invented
9 [+ obj] : to explain something in a way that is not clear to (someone) : to confuse (someone)
• I'm sorry. You've lost me. [=I don't understand what you're telling me]
• I understood the first part of the lecture, but when he started to talk about quantum physics he lost me completely. [=I was completely unable to understand what he was saying]
10 [+ obj] : to succeed in getting away from (someone who is following or chasing you)
• She tried to lose them by turning down a side street.
11 [+ obj] informal : to get rid of (something unwanted)
• I just can't seem to lose this cold.
• Lose the attitude, okay? [=stop having a bad attitude; stop being annoyed, uncooperative, etc.]
• You can lose [=remove] that sentence and the paragraph will sound better.
lose contact
- see 1contact
lose count
- see 2count
lose face
- see 1face
lose ground
- see 1ground
lose it informal
1 : to become insane
• He was always a little strange, but now he's completely lost it.
2 : to start behaving in an uncontrolled way because you are angry or upset
• I was so angry that I almost lost it.
lose out [phrasal verb] : to fail to keep or get something valued or desired
• Whoever benefits from the new government programs, the American taxpayer is bound to lose out in the end.
- often + on or to
• If you don't invest with us, you'll be losing out on a great opportunity! [=you'll be missing/wasting a great opportunity]
• She lost out to a better-known actress for the lead role. [=she did not get the lead role because a better-known actress got it]
lose sleep over
- see 2sleep
lose the plot
- see 1plot
lose touch
- see 2touch
lose your bearings
- see bearing
lose your grip
- see 2grip
lose your head
- see 1head
lose your heart
- see heart
lose your life
- see 1life
lose your lunch
- see 1lunch
lose your marbles
- see marble
lose yourself : to give all of your attention or thought to something
• He lost himself in his work.
• a musician who completely loses herself in the music
lose your shirt
- see shirt
lose your touch
- see 2touch
lose your way
- see 1way
- los·able /ˈluːzəbəl/ adj
• a losable game
- los·ing adj
• the losing candidate in the race [=the candidate who did not win; the candidate who lost]
• The team is on a losing streak.
• The team had a losing record/season.
