lose
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
How often you will meet it
Rank 972 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 18,828 times across 155,370 chapters — 0.009% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
verb
- fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat
- fail to win We lost the battle but we won the war
- suffer the loss of a person through death or removal She lost her husband in the warThe couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her
- miss from one's possessions; lose sight of I've lost my glasses again!
- allow to go out of sight or mind The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red lightlose the crowds by climbing a mountain
- fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit also: turn a loss I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!The company turned a loss after the first year
lose in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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No eyes, since you must lose your seeing!
Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles: Phillis - Licia · Martha Foote [Editor] Crow · Chapter 1
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If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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Did they not lose among them more than three hundred thousand francs?
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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But, win or lose, be assured it is the last time I will draw my sword.
A Knight of the White Cross · G. A. (George Alfred) Henty · Chapter 1
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The third Fairy comforted the poor traveller, begged her not to lose heart, and assured her that her troubles should be rewarded.
The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts · World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) · Chapter 1