# lose

Pronunciation: say "LOOZ" /luːz/

## Verb

1. To cease to have something by misplacing it, being deprived of it, or being unable to keep it, whether a possession, a right, or a part of the body.
   - Simple: To no longer have something because you cannot find it, cannot keep it, or have it taken away.
   - _Try not to lose your passport while traveling abroad._
   - _She lost her phone somewhere in the crowded station._
2. To be defeated in a game, competition, or contest; to fail to win.
   - Simple: To not win a game, contest, or fight.
   - _They lose more often than they win this season._
   - _We played hard but lost in the final round._
3. To shed body weight, especially through diet or exercise.
   - Simple: To get rid of body weight, usually on purpose.
   - _Many people try to lose weight at the start of a new year._
   - _He lost fifteen pounds training for the marathon._
4. To suffer the death of someone one is attached to, such as a relative or friend.
   - Simple: To have someone close to you die.
   - _He lost his father to cancer when he was twelve._
   - _Many families lose loved ones during natural disasters._
5. To stray from a path or route, missing it so as to be unable to find the way.
   - Simple: To get off the right path and not be able to find your way back to it.
   - _Travelers can lose the road easily once the snow covers the markers._
   - _The shepherd lost the track and had to follow the stream home._
6. To become unable to follow, keep track of, or keep in sight or mind someone or something, as when losing a guide in a crowd or the thread of an argument.
   - Simple: To stop being able to see, follow, or understand someone or something.
   - _We lost our guide in the crowded bazaar._
   - _Air traffic controllers can lose a small aircraft on radar during heavy storms._
7. To shed, discard, or otherwise get rid of something. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To get rid of something you do not want or need.
   - _Editors told him to lose the long introduction and start with the action._
   - _Let's lose the extra photos on the first page so the layout looks cleaner._
9. To stop displaying or to overcome a behavior or emotion.
   - Simple: To stop showing a feeling or habit.
   - _She worked hard to lose her shyness around new people._
   - _With time he lost his fear of flying entirely._
8. To cause someone to be deprived of something; to cost a person a thing they might otherwise have had.
   - Simple: To make someone miss out on something they wanted, like a job or a prize.
   - _A single scandal can lose a candidate the support of an entire region._
   - _That missed deadline lost the firm its biggest client._
10. To cause a pursuer or follower to be unable to keep track of one any longer.
   - Simple: To get away from someone chasing you so they can no longer follow or find you.
   - _The getaway driver tried to lose the patrol car on the back roads._
   - _The fox lost the hounds among the rocks along the riverbank._
11. To pay or owe a wager as the result of an unsuccessful bet or gamble.
   - Simple: To have to pay money because you bet on the wrong thing.
   - _Gamblers who chase their losses often lose far more than they intended._
   - _She lost a week's wages on a single hand of cards._
12. Of a clock or watch, to run slower than expected, falling behind the correct time.
   - Simple: Of a clock or watch, to fall behind the right time by running too slow.
   - _Older mechanical clocks tend to lose a minute or two each day._
   - _Her wristwatch lost almost an hour during the cold night._

## Origin

From Middle English "losen", from Old English "losian", a verb related to Old English "los" ("loss"). Its modern pronunciation with an /uː/ sound, rather than the expected form, arose from confusion with the word "loose".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lose (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).