LOSE


Meaning of LOSE in English

[ 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 ).

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.