Meaning & use
losing your composure
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Meaning
phraseidiomformal
becoming unable to control your feelings and appearing calm
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; the possessive changes: lose my/your/his/her composure. It is more formal than 'lose your cool'.
Patterns
- lose your composure
- losing your composure
- regain your composure
The witness was losing her composure as she described the accident.
He tried to stay calm, but he was losing his composure under the pressure.
Losing your composure in a job interview can harm your chances.
Word forms
| base form | lose your composure |
|---|---|
| third person singular | loses your composure |
| past tense | lost your composure |
| past participle | lost your composure |
Common combinations
- lose your composure
- She lost her composure when the judge asked about her family.
- regain your composure
- He took a deep breath and regained his composure.
- almost lose your composure
- I almost lost my composure when I saw the mess.
- without losing your composure
- She answered all the questions without losing her composure.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lose your cool
- This is informal and means the same; 'lose your composure' is more formal and often used in writing.
- break down
- This suggests a stronger emotional collapse, often with crying; 'lose your composure' can be milder.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: losing your composure or composition?
losing your composure vs composition
This means the parts that make up something, or a piece of writing. 'Composure' is about calmness.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Losing your composure' is the correct phrase. 'Composition' is a different word, and the phrase does not take 'of' or 'at' in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “losing your composure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.