Lose vs loose
Lose is a verb that means to stop having something or to not win. Loose is usually an adjective that means not tight or not held firmly.
Lose rhymes with shoes, and loose rhymes with goose.
lose verb
To stop having something, often because you can't find it, or to not win a game or contest.
- Don't lose your keys again.
- Our team lost the game by one point.
loose adjective
Not tight, or not held firmly in place, so it can move or come off easily.
- My tooth is loose and wiggles when I eat.
- She wore a loose shirt because it was a hot day.
Watch out
- Loose can also be a verb meaning to set something free or to undo it, but this is rare and mostly literary. In everyday English, people say loosen or let loose.Loose the falcon and watch it climb into the sky.
- The past form of lose is lost. Loosed is a form of loose, so never write loosed when you mean lost.I lost my wallet on the bus yesterday.
Test yourself
If we blank this game, we are out of the tournament.
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lose. It means to not win, which is the verb lose.
These jeans are so blank that I need a belt.
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loose. The jeans are not tight, so they are loose.
Hold my hand so you don't blank me in the crowd.
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lose. It means to stop being able to find someone.
One of the screws is blank, so the shelf wobbles.
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loose. The screw is not held firmly in place.