VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

lose custody

phrase·Advancedlegallaw

Last updated

UK/ˌluːz ˈkʌstədi/
US/ˌluːz ˈkʌstədi/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phraselegallaw

    To no longer have the legal right to live with and care for your child, as decided by a court.

    Grammar: Used with of before the person: lose custody of a child; often followed by to someone, meaning the other parent gains it.

    Patterns

    • lose custody of someone
    • lose custody to someone
    • lose custody in court

    After a long court case, he lost custody of his two daughters.

    She was afraid she would lose custody if she moved to another city.

    The judge ruled that the father had lost custody to the mother.

  2. phrasefixed phrasebusiness

    To stop being responsible for looking after something, such as a company's files or a piece of equipment.

    Grammar: This looser business use still takes of before the thing that was being looked after.

    Patterns

    • lose custody of something

    The bank lost custody of the documents when the office closed.

    No one should lose custody of these records during the move.

Common combinations

lose custody of a child
He lost custody of his child after the hearing.
lose custody to someone
She lost custody to her ex-husband.
fight to regain custody
They hired a lawyer to fight to regain custody.
a custody battle
The custody battle lasted almost a year.
be granted custody
In the end, the grandmother was granted custody.

Synonyms and how they differ

lose parental rights
Stronger and more formal; it means the legal link to the child ends, not just the daily care.
be separated from a child
Focuses on the physical situation and can be temporary, while lose custody is a legal ruling.

Opposites

win custodygain custody

Word family

custody noun
The legal right to care for a child or hold someone in detention.
custodial adjective
Relating to custody, as in a custodial parent or custodial sentence.
custodian noun
A person who looks after or guards something.

Commonly confused: lose custody or take custody? lose custody or lose a case?

lose custody vs take custody

Take custody means to begin having that right; lose custody means the right is taken away from you.

lose custody vs lose a case

You can lose a case about money or property; lose custody is specifically about the right to care for a child.

Practice

After the divorce, he ______ of his son and saw him only at weekends.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “lose custody”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words