Meaning & use
you've lost the plot
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalBritish
to start behaving in a strange or unreasonable way, or to lose your understanding of what is happening
Grammar: Used with 'have' and a subject: I've lost the plot. It is not used with an object.
Patterns
- have lost the plot
- lose the plot
- seem to have lost the plot
He used to be so sensible, but he's lost the plot recently.
You've lost the plot if you think that plan will work.
The team seems to have lost the plot in the second half.
Common combinations
- completely lost the plot
- She's completely lost the plot and is shouting at everyone.
- seem to have lost the plot
- The manager seems to have lost the plot this season.
- lose the plot over something
- He lost the plot over a tiny mistake.
- have totally lost the plot
- I think I've totally lost the plot with this schedule.
Synonyms and how they differ
- go crazy
- This can mean becoming mentally ill or extremely angry; 'lose the plot' is milder and often means behaving irrationally.
- lose it
- This is a more general informal phrase for losing control; 'lose the plot' is more specific to losing understanding or behaving strangely.
Opposites
Commonly confused: you've lost the plot or lose the point?
you've lost the plot vs lose the point
'Lose the point' means to miss the main idea in a discussion; 'lose the plot' means to become confused or irrational in general.
Practice
After working for 20 hours straight, he started laughing at nothing. He ___.
Choose one answer.
'Lost the plot' fits because it describes behaving strangely after exhaustion. 'Lost the point' means missing the main idea, and 'lost his way' means becoming lost physically or morally.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “you've lost the plot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.