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Meaning of lose in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /luz/

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  1. Verb

    lose

    Etymology

    Old English losian ‘perish, destroy’, also ‘become unable to find’, from los ‘loss’

    Definitions

    1. fail to keep or to maintain

    Examples

    • « cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense »
    • « She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat »

    Antonyms

    • keep
    • hold on
  2. 2. fail to win

    Examples

    • « We lost the battle but we won the war »

    Antonyms

    • win
  3. 3. suffer the loss of a person through death or removal

    Examples

    • « She lost her husband in the war »
    • « The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her »
  4. 4. place (something) where one cannot find it again

    Examples

    • « I misplaced my eyeglasses »
  5. 5. miss from one's possessions

    Examples

    • « lose sight of »
    • « I've lost my glasses again! »

    Antonyms

    • find
    • regain
  6. 6. allow to go out of sight

    Examples

    • « The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light »
  7. 7. fail to make money in a business

    Examples

    • « make a loss or fail to profit »
    • « I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment! »
    • « The company turned a loss after the first year »

    Antonyms

    • profit
    • turn a profit
    • break even
  8. 8. fail to get or obtain

    Examples

    • « I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad »

    Antonyms

    • acquire
    • win
    • gain
  9. 9. retreat

    Antonyms

    • gain
    • advance
    • win
    • pull ahead
    • make headway
    • get ahead
    • gain ground
  10. 10. fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

    Examples

    • « I missed that remark »
    • « She missed his point »
    • « We lost part of what he said »
  11. 11. be set at a disadvantage

    Examples

    • « This author really suffers in translation »

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