lose

/lu:z/ verb past tense and past participle lost /lst/

1 NOT HAVE ANY MORE (T) to stop having something that is important to you or that you need: I can't afford to lose my job, I have a family to support. | I lost a lot of money on that deal. | We're going to lose five teachers when the schools are merged. | lose everything: If they're lucky they'll make a fortune, if they're unlucky they stand to lose everything.

2 NOT WIN (I, T) to not win a game, argument, war etc: I'm not playing tennis with her any more - I always lose. | lose to/against: Cuba lost to Canada in the world volleyball championships. | lose a game/fight/election etc: Are they in danger of losing this battle? | lose by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc: Smithson lost by 7,008 votes. | lose sb sth (=be the reason why someone does not win something): Allegations of corruption lost him the election.

-opposite win 1 (1)

3 CANNOT FIND (T) to be unable to find someone or something: Whatever you do, don't lose those keys. | Make sure you don't lose each other in the crowd.

4 lose your memory/sight/voice etc to stop having a particular ability or sense: She lost her sight in a car accident. | lose your voice (=temporarily not be able to speak): A few days before our first concert I got a cold and lost my voice.

5 lose an arm/leg etc to have an arm, leg etc cut off after injury in an accident or in war: He lost his right arm in a motorbike accident.

6 lose your temper/head/nerve etc to become angry, nervous etc: It is vital that you do not lose your head (=that you manage to stay calm) even in the most serious crises | I really wanted to do the jump, but lost my nerve (=stopped feeling brave and confident) at the last minute

7 lose your way/bearings to not know where you are or which direction you should go: It's very easy to lose your way in the forest.

8 lose your balance/footing to become unsteady or fall: Sam lost his footing on the snowy bank.

9 lose interest/hope/heart etc to stop being interested in something, having hope etc: Don't lose heart -- there are plenty of other jobs you could apply for

10 lose your mother/father/wife etc used to say that someone's mother etc has died: Paul's been very depressed since losing his mother. | lose the baby (=used when a woman's baby dies before it is born)

11 lose weight to become thinner: Kay's lost a lot of weight. | lose 20lbs/3st/5kg: I'd like to lose at least 7 pounds before I go on vacation.

12 lose your mind to become crazy or to stop behaving sensibly: Have you lost your mind? It's really dangerous to go climbing there without a guide.

13 lose your life to die: His grandfather lost his life in a mining accident.

14 TIME (T) to waste time because of delays, interruptions etc: lose time/2days/3hours etc: We lost a lot of valuable time waiting for the others to arrive. | there's no time to lose (=it is neccessary to hurry): Hurry, there's no time to lose. | lose no time in doing sth (=do something immediately): George could see how serious it was and lost no time in calling the doctor.

-opposite gain 1 (8)

15 CLOCK/WATCH (T) if a clock or watch loses time, it works too slowly: lose time/5 minutes/1 hour: This old watch loses about 2 minutes in every hour.

-opposite gain 1 (9)

16 lose sb

a) to confuse someone when you are trying to explain something to them: I'm sorry, you've lost me now - could you start again?

b) to escape from someone who is chasing or following you: His car was much faster but I eventually managed to lose him.

17 lose yourself in sth to be so involved in something that you do not notice anything else: It's easy to lose yourself in the magic of this film.

18 have nothing to lose to be in a situation in which you should attempt to do something, because you may be successful, and it will not make things worse if you are not: You might as well apply for the job - you've got nothing to lose.

19 have a lot to lose/have too much to lose to be in a situation in which you will suffer very much if you do not succeed in doing something

20 lose sight of

a) to stop being able to see someone or something: Soon we had lost sight of the boat as it sailed off downstream.

b) to forget to consider something important: She was enjoying herself so much, she'd almost lost sight of the purpose of her visit.

21 lose touch (with)

a) to not speak to, write to, or see someone for a long time, so that you do not know where they are: I've lost touch with all my old school friends.

b) to not know the most recent information about something and therefore be unable to understand it properly: When you're living abroad it's so easy to lose touch with what's happening back home.

22 lose it spoken

a) to become crazy: I reckon Jack's losing it - he was walking the dog in his pyjamas.

b) be unable to stop yourself laughing, crying, shouting etc: Then she started doing this funny little dance and I just lost it completely.

23 lose face to do something that makes people not trust or respect you any more, especially in a public situation

24 lose height if an aircraft loses height it falls to a lower height in the sky

lose out phrasal verb (I) to not get something such as a job, business contract, or profit because someone else gets it instead: On this occasion both the dealer and the client lost out. | lose out to sb: We lost out to a French company as they could do the job more cheaply. | lose out on sth: Why is it that women always seem to lose out on career opportunities?