lose

verb

UK /luːz/

Word Forms

present tense
I/you/we/they	lose
he/she/it	loses
present participle	losing
past tense	lost
past participle	lost

1
transitive to stop having something because it has been taken from you or destroyed
Mike lost his job last year.
Register now and don’t lose your right to vote.
The family lost everything when their home burned down.
lose someone something (=make someone lose something):
An unreasonably high exchange rate lost them export markets.
lose something to someone:
They feared losing the sale to a rival company.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
1. 1a
  to stop having someone working for or with you because they have left
  I hope you decide not to accept their offer, because we’ll be sorry to lose you.
  Synonyms and related words
  To lose possession of something
  do without
  lose
  slip away
2
transitive to be unable to find someone or something
I’ve lost my bag. Have you seen it?
You can easily lose a child in a busy street.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
3
intransitive/transitive to not win a race, competition, fight etc
‘How did you do in the quiz?’ ‘We lost.’
lose to/against someone:
England lost 2–1 to Germany.
lose by something:
They lost by only one point.
lose someone something (=make someone lose something):
Those comments may well have lost them the election.
Synonyms and related words
To be defeated in a game, competition or argument
submit
surrender
appease
4
transitive to have less of something than before because some of it has gone
The plane lost cabin pressure and everyone had to use oxygen masks.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
1. 4a
  to become thinner and weigh less
  lose 5 pounds/3kg/2 stone etc:
  I lost 3kg when I was ill.
  lose weight:
  He’s lost a lot of weight recently.
  Synonyms and related words
  Gaining and losing weight
  fat camp
  fatten up
  fill out
5
transitive if you lose a member of your family or a friend, they die
She lost her son in a car accident.
Synonyms and related words
Death and general words relating to death
death
mortality
dying
6
transitive if you lose time or an opportunity or chance, you use it up or waste it
a plan to reduce the amount of working time lost through sickness
He must realize that an outstanding opportunity has been lost.
There’s no time to lose (=used for saying that it is necessary to do something as quickly as possible because the situation is urgent).
Synonyms and related words
To waste or misuse a thing or opportunity
wear out
throw away
waste
7
transitive to no longer have the natural ability to see, hear, remember etc
He lost his sight in an accident.
He’d lost his memory as a result of a stroke.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
8
transitive to not have part of your body any longer, for example because of an accident, illness, or age
Peter lost a leg in a climbing accident.
He started losing his hair in his late twenties.
Synonyms and related words
To injure yourself or someone else
injure
harm
wound
9
transitive to stop having a positive feeling, quality, or attitude
Jane started to lose interest in her schoolwork.
Many people have lost faith in the police force.
We’ve lost all hope of finding him alive.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
10
transitive to make less money than you spend or invest
The company lost more than £5 million last year.
Synonyms and related words
Relating to making profit
break-even point
commercial
speculative
11
transitive to manage to escape from someone who is following you
Synonyms and related words
To escape from a place or situation
escape
get away
break away
12
transitive to make someone confused when you are trying to explain something to them
I’m sorry, you’ve lost me there. Who’s Andrew?
Synonyms and related words
To make someone unable to concentrate or think clearly
discombobulate
confuse
distract
13
transitive if a clock or watch loses time, it is operating too slowly and shows a time that is earlier than the correct time
Synonyms and related words
What clocks and watches do
gain
keep time
lose
14
lose your shit
very informal
to lose your cool, to freak out
35 Times You Totally Lost Your Shit Watching The London 2012 Opening Ceremony
Submitted from:
United Kingdom on 27/07/2017
Open Dictionary - July2017

phrases

someone can’t lose

have a lot/too much to lose

have nothing to lose

lose a baby

lose your balance/footing

lose the battle but win the war

lose consciousness

lose face

lose ground

lose your head

lose heart

lose your heart to someone

lose height

lose something in translation/interpretation etc

lose it

lose your life

lose your marbles

lose your nerve

lose no time in doing something

lose your rag

lose someone to something

lose sight of

lose your temper

lose your touch

lose touch (with something)

lose touch/contact (with someone)

lose track (of)

lose your voice

lose your way

lose yourself in something

not lose sleep over

phrasal verbs

lose out

lose

verb

US /luz/

Word Forms

present tense
I/you/we/they	lose
he/she/it	loses
present participle	losing
past tense	lost
past participle	lost

1
transitive to stop having something because it has been taken from you or destroyed
Mike lost his job last year.
Register now and don’t lose your right to vote.
The family lost everything when their home burned down.
lose someone something (=make someone lose something):
An unreasonably high exchange rate lost them export markets.
lose something to someone:
They feared losing the sale to a rival company.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
1. 1a
  to stop having someone working for or with you because they have left
  I hope you decide not to accept their offer, because we’ll be sorry to lose you.
  Synonyms and related words
  To lose possession of something
  do without
  lose
  slip away
2
transitive to be unable to find someone or something
I’ve lost my purse. Have you seen it?
You can easily lose a child in a busy street.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
3
intransitive/transitive to not win a race, competition, fight, etc.
“How did you do in the quiz?” “We lost.”
lose to/against someone:
The Rams lost 24–14 to the Giants.
lose by something:
They lost by only one point.
lose someone something (=make someone lose something):
Those comments may well have lost them the election.
Synonyms and related words
To be defeated in a game, competition or argument
go down
go out
lose
4
transitive to have less of something than before because some of it has gone
The plane lost cabin pressure and everyone had to use oxygen masks.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
1. 4a
  to become thinner and weigh less
  I lost 5 pounds when I was sick.
  lose weight:
  He’s lost a lot of weight recently.
  Synonyms and related words
  Gaining and losing weight
  fat camp
  fatten up
  fill out
5
transitive if you lose a member of your family, they die
She lost her son in a car accident.
Synonyms and related words
Death and general words relating to death
death
mortality
bereavement
6
transitive to not have the natural ability to see, hear, remember, etc. anymore
He lost his sight in an accident.
He’d lost his memory as a result of a stroke.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
7
transitive to not have part of your body anymore, for example because of an accident, illness, or age
Peter lost a leg in a climbing accident.
He started losing his hair in his late twenties.
Synonyms and related words
To injure yourself or someone else
injure
harm
wound
8
transitive to stop having a positive feeling, quality, or attitude
Jane started to lose interest in her schoolwork.
Many people have lost faith in the police.
We’ve lost all hope of finding him alive.
Synonyms and related words
To lose possession of something
do without
lose
slip away
9
transitive if you lose time or an opportunity or chance, you use it up or waste it
a plan to reduce the amount of working time lost through sickness
He must realize that an outstanding opportunity has been lost.
There’s no time to lose (=used for saying that it is necessary to do something as quickly as possible because the situation is urgent).
Synonyms and related words
To waste or misuse a thing or opportunity
wear out
throw away
waste
10
transitive to make less money than you spend or invest
The company lost more than $5 million last year.
Synonyms and related words
Relating to making profit
break-even point
commercial
speculative
11
transitive to manage to escape from someone who is following you
Synonyms and related words
To escape from a place or situation
escape
get away
break away
12
transitive to make someone confused when you are trying to explain something to them
I’m sorry, you’ve lost me there. Who’s Andrew?
Synonyms and related words
To make someone unable to concentrate or think clearly
discombobulate
confuse
distract
13
transitive if a clock or watch loses time, it is operating too slowly and shows a time that is earlier than the correct time
Synonyms and related words
What clocks and watches do
gain
keep time
lose
14
lose your shit
very informal
to lose your cool, to freak out
35 Times You Totally Lost Your Shit Watching The London 2012 Opening Ceremony
Submitted from:
United Kingdom on 27/07/2017
Open Dictionary - July2017

phrases

someone can’t lose

have a lot/too much to lose

have nothing to lose

lose a baby

lose your balance/footing

lose the battle but win the war

lose consciousness

lose face

lose ground

lose your head

lose heart

lose your heart to someone

lose height

lose something in translation/interpretation etc.

lose it

lose your life

lose your nerve

lose no time in doing something

lose your rag

lose sight of

lose your temper

lose someone to something

lose your touch

lose touch (with something)

lose touch/contact (with someone)

lose track (of)

lose your voice

lose your way

lose yourself in something

not lose sleep over

phrasal verbs

lose out

lose ​‌‌‌

lose your shit

lose ​‌‌‌

lose your shit

lose

lose