lose
- 01 A1 Beginner
to be unable to find something that you had before.
to misplace an object or cease to have it in one's possession through negligence or accident.
Simple“I always lose my umbrella when it stops raining and I leave it on the bus.”
In context“She managed to lose her passport twice during the three-week tour, causing significant delays for the rest of the group.”
PitfallI am loose my keys every day. I lose my keys every day.Do not confuse 'lose' (the verb) with 'loose' (the adjective meaning not tight).
- 02 A2 Elementary
to have less of something than you had before, like weight or money.
to experience a reduction in a specific quantity, quality, or resource.
Simple“He lost ten pounds after he started walking to work every morning.”
In context“The company lost a significant amount of market share following the launch of a cheaper competitor.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
to stop being able to see someone you were following, or to stop understanding a story.
to fail to maintain visual contact with a target or to fail to follow the logic of a narrative or argument.
Simple“I lost him in the crowd because there were so many people wearing the same jacket.”
In context“The professor spoke so quickly that most of the students lost the thread of the lecture within the first ten minutes.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
to stop having a feeling or a habit, or to throw something away.
to cease exhibiting a particular trait or to intentionally discard an unwanted person or thing.
Simple“You need to lose that bad attitude if you want to keep your job.”
In context“The undercover agent had to lose the tail before meeting his contact at the safe house.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
when a clock or watch shows a time that is earlier than the real time.
of a timekeeping device, to function at a rate slower than the standard, resulting in an increasingly late reading.
Simple“My old grandfather clock loses about five minutes every week.”
In context“The mechanical watch began to lose time consistently, suggesting that the internal spring required professional servicing.”
Synonymsrun slowAntonyms
lose vs miss — Lose is for things you no longer have or games you fail to win, while miss is for things you fail to hit, see, or attend.
Usage lose my job · lose energy · lose weight
* As a north/Low German surname, from a pet form of Lodewig, Ludwig. * As a south German surname, from a pet from of Nikolaus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.