[ lu:z ]
■ verb ( past and past participle lost )
1》 be deprived of or cease to have or retain.
↘be deprived of (a relative or friend) through their death.
↘(of a pregnant woman) miscarry (a baby).
↘( be lost ) be destroyed or killed.
↘decrease in (body weight).
↘(of a clock) become slow by (a specified amount of time).
↘( ~ it ) informal ~ control of one's temper or emotions.
2》 become unable to find.
↘(often ~ one's (or the) way ) become unable to follow (the right route).
↘evade or shake off (a pursuer).
↘ N. Amer. informal get rid of.
↘( ~ oneself in/be lost in ) be or become deeply absorbed in.
3》 fail to win (a game or contest).
4》 earn less (money) than one is spending.
5》 waste or fail to take advantage of: he may have lost his chance.
6》 ( ~ out ) be disadvantaged.
Phrases
~ face ~ one's credibility.
~ heart become discouraged.
~ one's mind (or marbles ) informal go insane.
Origin
OE losian 'perish, destroy', also 'become unable to find', from los 'loss'.
Usage
Do not confuse ~ and loose ; ~ is a verb meaning ‘no longer have’ or ‘become unable to find’ ( I need to ~ weight ), while loose is normally an adjective, meaning ‘not firmly fixed in place or tied up’ ( a loose tooth ).