/loohz/ , v. , lost, losing .
v.t.
1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery: I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
2. to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered: I just lost a dime under this sofa.
3. to suffer the deprivation of: to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
4. to be bereaved of by death: to lose a sister.
5. to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain: to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.
6. (of a clock or watch) to run slower by: The watch loses three minutes a day.
7. to give up; forfeit the possession of: to lose a fortune at the gaming table.
8. to get rid of: to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight.
9. to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively): Ship and crew were lost.
10. to condemn to hell; damn.
11. to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc.: to lose him in the crowd.
12. to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.): to lose one's bearings.
13. to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.; outstrip: She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.
14. to use to no purpose; waste: to lose time in waiting.
15. to fail to have, get, catch, etc.; miss: to lose a bargain.
16. to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.): to lose a bet.
17. to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.): He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.
18. to cause the loss of: The delay lost the battle for them.
19. to let (oneself) go astray, miss the way, etc.: We lost ourselves in the woods.
20. to allow (oneself) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else: I had lost myself in thought.
21. (of a physician) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient).
22. (of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.
v.i.
23. to suffer loss: to lose on a contract.
24. to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game: We played well, but we lost.
25. to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality: a classic that loses in translation.
26. (of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.
27. lose face . See face (def. 30).
28. lose out , to suffer defeat or loss; fail to obtain something desired: He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.
[ bef. 900; ME losen, OE -leosan; r. ME lesen, itself also reflecting OE -leosan; c. G verlieren, Goth fraliusan to lose. See LOSS ]