Meaning & use
losses
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“losses” is a form of “loss”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
the fact of no longer having something, or the money or things you no longer have
Grammar: This is the plural form; the singular is 'loss'. It is countable, so you can say 'a loss' or 'many losses'.
Patterns
- suffer losses
- heavy losses
- losses of something
The company reported heavy losses last year.
The army suffered serious losses in the battle.
The floods caused losses of homes and crops.
nounpluralsport
defeats in a game or competition
Grammar: Used especially in sports: a team can have wins and losses.
Patterns
- wins and losses
- a record of losses
- suffer losses
The team has had more losses than wins this season.
After three straight losses, the coach changed the lineup.
Their losses in the playoffs were disappointing.
Word forms
| singular | loss |
|---|
Common combinations
- heavy losses
- The company suffered heavy losses during the recession.
- financial losses
- The bank reported financial losses of over a million dollars.
- suffer losses
- The rebels suffered heavy losses in the fighting.
- wins and losses
- The coach talked about both wins and losses.
- cut your losses
- After the bad investment, they decided to cut their losses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- defeats
- This is more specific to competitions and battles; 'losses' can also mean financial or personal loss.
- damages
- This is a legal term for money claimed; 'losses' is more general.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: losses or loses? losses or looses?
losses vs loses
This is the third person singular of the verb 'lose': He loses his keys. 'Losses' is the plural noun.
losses vs looses
This is a rare verb meaning 'makes less tight'; it is not related to 'losses'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Losses' is the plural noun meaning money lost. 'Loses' is a verb, 'loss' is singular and would need 'a' or 'the', and 'looses' is a different word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “losses”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.