Library / English Dictionary

LOSE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: lost   

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be set at a disadvantage

Example:

The painting loses something in this light

Synonyms:

lose; suffer

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "lose" is one way to...):

decline; worsen (grow worse)

Verb group:

suffer (get worse)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Withdraw, as from reality

Example:

he lost himslef in his music

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "lose" is one way to...):

seclude; sequester; sequestrate; withdraw (keep away from others)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fail to win

Example:

We lost the battle but we won the war

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

"Lose" entails doing...:

compete; contend; vie (compete for something; engage in a contest; measure oneself against others)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lose"):

go down (be defeated)

drop (lose (a game))

remain down; take the count (be counted out; remain down while the referee counts to ten)

drop one's serve (lose a game in which one is serving)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s to somebody

Antonym:

win (be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious)

Derivation:

loser (a gambler who loses a bet)

loser (a contestant who loses the contest)

loser (a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Suffer the loss of a person through death or removal

Example:

The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "lose" is one way to...):

suffer (experience (emotional) pain)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 5

Meaning:

Fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

Example:

We lost part of what he said

Synonyms:

lose; miss

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lose"):

overlook (look past, fail to notice)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 6

Meaning:

Allow to go out of sight or mind

Example:

the lost tribe

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 7

Meaning:

Miss from one's possessions; lose sight of

Example:

I've lost my glasses again!

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lose"):

forget; leave (leave behind unintentionally)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

find (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

Derivation:

losings (something lost (especially money lost at gambling))

Sense 8

Meaning:

Fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

Example:

She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lose"):

white-out; whiteout (lose daylight visibility in heavy fog, snow, or rain)

sleep off (get rid of by sleeping)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They lose the money

Antonym:

keep (retain possession of)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Fail to get or obtain

Example:

I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "lose"):

mislay; misplace (place (something) where one cannot find it again)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Antonym:

win (win something through one's efforts)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit

Example:

The company turned a loss after the first year

Synonyms:

lose; turn a loss

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

They lose the money

Antonym:

break even (make neither profit nor loss)

profit (make a profit; gain money or materially)

Derivation:

loser (a gambler who loses a bet)

losings (something lost (especially money lost at gambling))

Credits

 Context examples: 

Replacement or reconstruction of a lost tooth structure.

(Dental Restoration, NCI Thesaurus)

A condition in which a person loses the ability to think, remember, learn, make decisions, and solve problems.

(Dementia, NCI Dictionary)

Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) Go out and reach a familiar destination without getting lost?

(DAD - Go Out and Reach a Familiar Destination Without Getting Lost, NCI Thesaurus)

Medications that were lost because they were put in the wrong place.

(Medication Misplaced, NCI Thesaurus)

Describes tumor cells that have lost some of the appearance of normal cells.

(Moderately Differentiated, NCI Thesaurus)

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Has the patient lost interest in the world around him/her?

(NPI - Lost Interest in the World Around Him/Her, NCI Thesaurus)

I half lost the sense of power over him.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Has the patient lost interest in friends and family members?

(NPI - Lost Interest in Friends and Family Members, NCI Thesaurus)

A condition in which a person loses the ability to hear due to exposure to high intensity sound.

(Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NCI Thesaurus)

Usually, the disease is mild, but some people lose the ability to write, speak, or walk.

(Multiple Sclerosis, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)