lose1 /looz/ transitive verb (losˈing; lost /lost/)- To fail to keep or obtain
- To be deprived or bereaved of
- To cease to have
- To cease to hear, see or understand
- To confuse or bewilder
- To mislay
- To waste (eg time)
- To miss
- To be defeated in
- To cause the loss or ruin of
- To cause to perish
- To bring to ruin
- To get away from
intransitive verb- To fail, to be unsuccessful
- To suffer waste or loss
- (of a clock or watch) to go slow
ORIGIN: OE losian to be a loss; apparently influenced in sense by leese and in pronunciation by loose losˈable adjective losˈer noun - Someone who or something that loses
- Someone who is habitually unsuccessful or generally inept (derog inf)
losˈing noun and adjective losˈingly adverb lost /lost/ adjective - Parted with
- No longer possessed
- Missing
- Not able to be found
- Thrown away
- Squandered, wasted
- Ruined
- Lacking in morals
- Damned
- Confused, unable to find the way (lit and figurative)
losing game noun - A game that is going against one
- A game played with the aim of losing
lostˈ-and-foundˈ adjective Relating to an office, official, etc whose function is to trace or take care of lost property, luggage, etc lost cause noun A hopeless ideal or endeavour lost generation noun - Orig the young men who died in World War I
- Later, a group of US writers whose work explored the disillusionment felt after World War I
- Any generation which is perceived to have lost or rejected traditional value systems
lost soul noun A damned soul, an irredeemably evil person lost tribes plural noun The tribes of Israel that never returned after deportation by Sargon of Assyria in 721BC get lost! (informal) - Go away and stay away!
- Stop annoying or interfering!
lose face see under face lose it (informal) - To lose one's temper
- To suffer a mental breakdown
- To suffer a sudden failing of one's powers
lose oneself - To lose one's way
- To become rapt or bewildered
- To become totally engrossed
lose out (informal) - To suffer loss or be at a disadvantage
- (also with on) to fail to acquire something desired
lose way (of a boat) to lose speed lost to Insensible to |