# lose

/ˈɫuz/ (US) · /lˈuːz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lose
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. cannot find

verb · CEFR A1

to be unable to find something that you had before.

For teachers: to misplace an object or cease to have it in one's possession through negligence or accident.

- I always lose my umbrella when it stops raining and I leave it on the bus.
- She managed to lose her passport twice during the three-week tour, causing significant delays for the rest of the group.

### 3. to have less of something

verb · CEFR A2

to have less of something than you had before, like weight or money.

For teachers: to experience a reduction in a specific quantity, quality, or resource.

- He lost ten pounds after he started walking to work every morning.
- The company lost a significant amount of market share following the launch of a cheaper competitor.

### 4. to be unable to follow

verb · CEFR B1

to stop being able to see someone you were following, or to stop understanding a story.

For teachers: to fail to maintain visual contact with a target or to fail to follow the logic of a narrative or argument.

- I lost him in the crowd because there were so many people wearing the same jacket.
- The professor spoke so quickly that most of the students lost the thread of the lecture within the first ten minutes.

### 5. to get rid of

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to stop having a feeling or a habit, or to throw something away.

For teachers: to cease exhibiting a particular trait or to intentionally discard an unwanted person or thing.

- You need to lose that bad attitude if you want to keep your job.
- The undercover agent had to lose the tail before meeting his contact at the safe house.

### 6. clocks running slow

verb · CEFR B2

when a clock or watch shows a time that is earlier than the real time.

For teachers: of a timekeeping device, to function at a rate slower than the standard, resulting in an increasingly late reading.

- My old grandfather clock loses about five minutes every week.
- The mechanical watch began to lose time consistently, suggesting that the internal spring required professional servicing.

## Examples

- I often lose my keys when I am in a hurry.
- If the team does not improve their defense, they will likely lose the championship game this weekend.
- Investors fear that if the market continues to decline, they will lose a significant portion of their retirement savings before the end of the fiscal year.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.