I. ˈlüz verb
( lost ; lost ˈlȯst also ˈläst ; losing ; loses )
Etymology: alteration (probably influenced in pronunciation by loose ) (I) of Middle English losen to lose, get lost, perish, destroy, from Old English losian to get lost, perish, destroy, from los destruction; akin to Old English lēosan to lose, Old High German for lust destruction, Old Norse losa to loosen, Gothic fra lusnan to perish, Latin luere to atone for, Greek lyein to unbind, release, dissolve, Sanskrit lunāti he cuts off
transitive verb
1. : to bring to destruction : ruin , destroy
what to ourselves in passion we propose, the passion ending doth our purpose lose — Shakespeare
— now used chiefly in passive constructions
ship was lost on the reef
specifically : damn
if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul — Mt 16:26 (Authorized Version)
2. : to fail to keep at hand or accessible : miss from one's possession : miss from its customary or supposed place
lost his gloves
little Bopeep has lost her sheep
3.
a. : to suffer deprivation of : part with especially in an unforeseen or accidental manner
lose a leg in an auto crash
lose savings in a poor investment
lost his job
b. : to become deprived of or lacking in (a quality)
has lost her beauty
if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltness be restored — Mt 5:13 (Revised Standard Version)
the ceremony has lost its original meaning
4.
a. : to suffer deprivation through the death or removal of or final separation from (a person)
lost a son in the war
village losing its young men through emigration
b. : to fail to keep (a patient) from dying
have lost few pneumonia cases since penicillin came into use
c. : to become deprived of the services or useful presence of (as soldiers) through death, injury, desertion, capture
the victors lost more men than the defeated
d. : to fail to keep control of or allegiance of
lose votes
the sect is losing its younger members
5.
a. : to fail to use : be unable to make proper use of : let slip by : waste
lose time in hunting for mislaid tools
: miss
hated to lose a day's fishing
lost no opportunity to point out faults
lose the tide
sarcasm was lost on him
b. : to fail to win, gain, or obtain
lose a prize
lose a hooked fish
lose a contest
lose a lawsuit
: undergo defeat in
lost every battle but the last
c. : to fail to catch with the senses or the mind
lost part of what he said
6. : to cause the loss of
one careless statement lost him the election
leading from the king will lose two tricks
7. : to fail to keep, sustain, or maintain
lost his balance
the writer seems to have lost his touch
lost his temper
lose interest in a game
lose poise
lost his footing on the path and fell
lose caste
lost count of the minutes
8.
a. : to cause to miss one's way or bearings
you could not lose him anywhere in London
soon lost himself in the maze of streets
b. : to make (oneself) withdrawn from immediate reality
lost himself in daydreaming
9.
a. : to wander or go astray from : miss so as not to be able to find
lost his way
the ships lost each other in the fog
b. : to draw away from : shake off : outstrip
lost his pursuers
10. : to fail to keep in sight or in mind
lost the thief in the crowded street
the fielder lost the ball in the sun
an intention that was soon lost
11. : to free oneself from : get rid of
dieting to lose weight
lose a cold
12. : to make (itself) hidden or obscured
the river loses itself in the marshes
intransitive verb
1. : to undergo deprivation of something of value
investors lost heavily
or deterioration of a valuable quality
the story loses considerably in translation
2. : to undergo defeat : fail to win a goal or a contest
able to lose with good grace
better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all — Alfred Tennyson
3. of a timepiece : to run slow
•
- lose ground
- lose one's cud
- lose one's heart
II. verb
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- lose it