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Definition lose in British English

lose verb

verb
/luːz/

Don’t confuse lose (a verb) and loose (an adjective).

Lose is a verb meaning ‘to stop having something’. It is spelled with only one ‘o’ and is pronounced /luːz/:

✗ She was afraid of loosing him.

✓ She was afraid of losing him.

Loose is an adjective meaning ‘not tight’ or ‘not firmly fixed’. It is spelled with a double ‘o’ and is pronounced differently, /luːs/:

Christina was dressed in shorts and a loose cotton shirt.

1

to stop having something because it has been taken from you or destroyed

Example

Mike lost his job last year.

Example

Register now and don't lose your right to vote.

Example

The family lost everything when their home burned down.

Example

An unreasonably high exchange rate lost them export markets.

Example

They feared losing the sale to a rival company.

Synonyms and related words
do without lose slip away
1.1

to stop having someone working for or with you because they have left

Example

I hope you decide not to accept their offer, because we'll be sorry to lose you.

Synonyms and related words
do without lose slip away
2

to be unable to find someone or something

Example

I've lost my bag. Have you seen it?

Example

You can easily lose a child in a busy street.

Synonyms and related words
do without lose slip away
3

to not win a race, competition, fight etc

Example

'How did you do in the quiz?' 'We lost.'

Example

England lost 2-1 to Germany.

Example

They lost by only one point.

Example

Those comments may well have lost them the election.

Synonyms and related words
submit surrender appease
4

to have less of something than before because some of it has gone

Example

The plane lost cabin pressure and everyone had to use oxygen masks.

Synonyms and related words
do without lose slip away
4.1

to become thinner and weigh less

Example

I lost 3kg when I was ill.

Example

He's lost a lot of weight recently.

Synonyms and related words
fat camp fatten up fill out
5

if you lose a member of your family or a friend, they die

Example

She lost her son in a car accident.

Synonyms and related words
morbidity death mortality
6

if you lose time or an opportunity or chance, you use it up or waste it

Example

a plan to reduce the amount of working time lost through sickness

Example

He must realize that an outstanding opportunity has been lost.

Example

There's no time to lose (=used for saying that it is necessary to do something as quickly as possible because the situation is urgent).

Synonyms and related words
wear out throw away waste
7

to no longer have the natural ability to see, hear, remember etc

Example

He lost his sight in an accident.

Example

He'd lost his memory as a result of a stroke.

Synonyms and related words
do without lose slip away
8

to not have part of your body any longer, for example because of an accident, illness, or age

Example

Peter lost a leg in a climbing accident.

Example

He started losing his hair in his late twenties.

Synonyms and related words
injure harm wound
Example

Jane started to lose interest in her schoolwork.

Example

Many people have lost faith in the police force.

Example

We've lost all hope of finding him alive.

Synonyms and related words
do without lose slip away
10

to make less money than you spend or invest

Example

The company lost more than £5 million last year.

Synonyms and related words
break-even point commercial speculative
11

to manage to escape from someone who is following you

Synonyms and related words
escape get away break away
12

to make someone confused when you are trying to explain something to them

Example

I'm sorry, you've lost me there. Who's Andrew?

Synonyms and related words
discombobulate confuse distract
13

if a clock or watch loses time, it is operating too slowly and shows a time that is earlier than the correct time

Synonyms and related words
gain keep time lose
14

to lose your cool, to freak out

Example

35 Times You Totally Lost Your Shit Watching The London 2012 Opening Ceremony

Definition lose in British English

Related Words

Words related to lose:

have to lose (phrase) have nothing to lose (phrase) lose (verb) lose a baby (phrase) lose consciousness (phrase) lose count (of something) (phrase) lose face (phrase) lose ground (phrase) lose heart (phrase) lose height (phrase) lose it (phrase) lose no time in doing something (phrase) lose out (phrasal verb) lose sight of (phrase) lose someone to something (phrase) lose something in etc (phrase) lose the battle but win the war (phrase) lose the plot (phrase) lose the thread (phrase) lose time (phrase) lose touch (with something) (phrase) lose (with someone) (phrase) lose track (of) (phrase) lose your (phrase) lose your bearings (phrase) lose your cool (phrase) lose your grip (on something) (phrase) lose your head (phrase) lose your heart (to someone) (phrase) lose your heart to someone (phrase) lose your life (phrase) lose your marbles (phrase) lose your mind (phrase) lose your nerve (phrase) lose your rag (phrase) lose your shirt on something (phrase) lose your temper (phrase) lose your temper (with) (phrase) lose your touch (phrase) lose your voice (phrase) lose your way (phrase) lose yourself in something (phrase) lose-lose (adjective) hope (phrase) not lose sleep over () steam (phrase) slip/lose your moorings (phrase) someone can’t lose (phrase) there’s no time to lose (phrase) virginity (noun) win or lose (phrase)