lose

[[t]lu͟ːz[/t]]

♦

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