Meaning & use
lost the plot
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Meanings
phraseidiominformalBritish
Stopped being able to think or behave sensibly, usually because of stress or anger.
Grammar: Verb changes with tense: he has lost the plot, she's going to lose the plot. No object follows.
Patterns
- someone loses the plot
- someone has lost the plot
When the printer jammed again, my boss completely lost the plot.
Have you lost the plot? You can't wear that to a funeral.
The referee seemed to have lost the plot and sent off three players.
phraseidiominformalBritish
Stopped understanding what is going on in a situation, story or conversation.
Grammar: Often used with a simple fact about not following events: I've lost the plot with this series.
Patterns
- someone loses the plot with something
I missed two episodes and now I've totally lost the plot.
Sorry, I've lost the plot. Who is that character?
Word forms
| present | lose the plot |
|---|---|
| third person | loses the plot |
| past | lost the plot |
| -ing | losing the plot |
Common combinations
- completely lost the plot
- The manager completely lost the plot during the meeting.
- seem to have lost the plot
- The government seems to have lost the plot on this issue.
- totally lost the plot
- The director totally lost the plot in the final act.
- about to lose the plot
- I was about to lose the plot after waiting two hours.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lost his mind
- Lost his mind is more dramatic and can imply real madness, while lost the plot is milder and often playful.
- gone off the rails
- Gone off the rails suggests behavior that has become wildly out of control over time, while lost the plot can describe a single outburst.
- lost it
- Lost it is shorter and mostly refers to a sudden loss of temper, whereas lost the plot can also mean losing sense or focus.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lost the plot or lost the thread?
lost the plot vs lost the thread
Lost the thread means you can no longer follow what is being said, whereas lost the plot can also mean you are behaving unreasonably.
Practice
After the third delay, the passenger ___ and started shouting at the staff.
Choose one answer.
Lost the plot means stopped behaving sensibly, which fits the shouting. Found the plot would suggest the opposite, the tempting wrong option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lost the plot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.