lose
UK /luːz/ · US /luz/ verb, proper noun
Also a form of loos
Forms loses losing lost losest lostest loseth
- verb (transitive) To cease to have (something) in one's possession or capability. “If you lose that ten-pound note, you'll be sorry.”
- verb (transitive) To have (an organ) removed from one's body, especially by accident. “Johnny lost a tooth, but kept it for the tooth fairy.”
- verb (transitive) To shed (weight). “I’ve lost five pounds this week.”
- verb (transitive) To experience the death of (someone to whom one has an attachment, such as a relative or friend). “She lost all her sons in the war.”
- verb (transitive) To pay or owe (some wager) due from an unsuccessful bet or gamble. “Frank had lost $500 staying in Vegas.”
- verb (transitive) To be deprived of (some right or privileged access to something).
- verb (transitive) To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to find; to go astray from. “I lost my way in the forest.”
- verb (transitive) To become a defeated competitor in (a game, competition, trial, etc). “We lost the football match.”
- proper noun A surname from German.
Synonyms
ditch drop dump get rid of jettison leave behind mislay (fail to win: forfeit (shed: drop, shed forlese misplace turn a loss fall back drop off fall behind recede miss suffer
Antonyms
come across discover find gain acquire procure get pick up snag win gain, put on come first keep profit break even
Etymology
From Middle English losen, from Old English losian. The modern pronunciation with /uː/ (instead of the /oʊ~əʊ/ that would be expected from Early Modern /ɔː/) is due to conflation with loose.
* As a north/Low German surname, from a pet form of Lodewig, Ludwig.
* As a south German surname, from a pet from of Nikolaus.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.; to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg by amputation; to lose men in battle.
- verb To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to lose one's health.
- verb To suffer loss, disadvantage, or defeat; to be worse off, esp. as the result of any kind of contest.
Etymology [OE. losien to loose, be lost, lose, AS. losian to become loose; akin to OE. leosen to lose, p. p. loren, lorn, AS. leósan, p. p. loren (in comp.), D. verliezen, G. verlieren, Dan. forlise, Sw. förlisa, förlora, Goth. fraliusan, also to E. loose, a & v., L. luere to loose, Gr. l to cut. sq. root127. Cf. Analysis, Palsy, Solve, Forlorn, Leasing, Loose, Loss.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lose”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details