Meaning & use
lose
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To no longer have something because you cannot find it, or because it has been taken or has gone.
Grammar: Takes an object: lose your keys.
Patterns
- lose something
- lose someone
I always lose my umbrella on rainy days.
The company lost a lot of customers last year.
He lost his job when the factory closed.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To fail to win a game, contest or argument.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: lose the match, we lost.
Patterns
- lose to someone
- lose a game
Our team lost the final by one point.
She hates losing at chess.
The candidate lost to a newcomer.
verbtransitive
To have less of a quality, ability or weight than before.
Grammar: The object is often weight, hope or interest.
Patterns
- lose weight
- lose hope
- lose interest
He lost ten pounds this summer.
After many setbacks she began to lose hope.
The children lost interest in the game.
verbtransitive
To waste time or an opportunity, or to be separated from someone through death.
Grammar: Takes an object: lose time, lose a parent.
Patterns
- lose time
- lose a loved one
We lost an hour waiting at the airport.
She lost her grandmother last winter.
Don't lose a chance like this.
Word forms
| third person singular | loses |
|---|---|
| past tense | lost |
| past participle | lost |
| -ing form | losing |
Common combinations
- lose weight
- She joined a gym to lose weight.
- lose track of
- I lost track of time while reading.
- lose your temper
- He lost his temper over a small mistake.
- lose sight of
- Don't lose sight of your goal.
- lose touch
- They lost touch after college.
- lose a game
- The visitors lose the game by two goals.
Synonyms and how they differ
- misplace
- Misplace means to put something somewhere and forget where, whereas lose can also mean permanent loss.
- forfeit
- Forfeit is formal and means giving up something as a penalty, while lose is the plain word for any loss.
- drop
- Drop is informal when used to mean losing points or a match, but lose is the neutral term for results.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lose or loose?
lose vs loose
Loose is an adjective meaning not tight and has a /s/ sound, whereas lose is a verb with a /z/ sound.
Practice
Be careful not to ___ your passport while you travel.
Choose one answer.
Lose is the verb after to. Loose is the usual spelling mistake, but it is an adjective meaning not tight.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.