Meaning & use
potential loss
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebusinessfinance
A possible financial or other loss that could happen in the future.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a potential loss' for one, or 'potential losses' for more than one.
Patterns
- a potential loss of something
- face a potential loss
- avoid a potential loss
The company estimated a potential loss of $2 million if the deal fell through.
Investors were worried about the potential loss of their savings.
Insurance helps protect against potential losses from accidents.
Word forms
| plural | potential losses |
|---|
Common combinations
- face a potential loss
- The bank could face a potential loss if the borrower defaults.
- potential loss of
- The potential loss of jobs worried the community.
- minimize potential losses
- Diversification can help minimize potential losses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- possible loss
- Very similar, but 'potential loss' is more common in financial contexts.
- risk of loss
- Focuses on the chance of loss rather than the loss itself.
Opposites
Word family
- potentially adverb
- In a way that is possible.
- lose verb
- To no longer have something.
Commonly confused: potential loss or lost?
potential loss vs lost
'Lost' is the past tense of 'lose', while 'loss' is a noun meaning the fact of losing something.
Practice
The firm tried to reduce its _____ loss by selling the stocks early.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'potential loss' uses the adjective 'potential' to describe the noun 'loss'. 'Potentially' is an adverb, 'potent' means powerful, and 'potency' is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “potential loss”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.