“lose”

Definitions

• verb

  fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

  Synonyms: bereave, bow, capitulate, clear, consume, decline, default, disinherit, displace, dispossess, dissipate, divest

  Antonyms: keep

  • Example:“She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat.”

• verb

  fail to win

  Antonyms: win

  • Example:“We lost the battle but we won the war.”

• verb

  suffer the loss of a person through death or removal

  • Example:“She lost her husband in the war.”
  • Example:“The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her.”

• verb

  miss from one's possessions; lose sight of

  Antonyms: find

  • Example:“I've lost my glasses again!”

• verb

  allow to go out of sight or mind

  • Example:“The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light.”
  • Example:“lose the crowds by climbing a mountain”

• verb

  fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit

  Synonyms: turn a loss

  Antonyms: profit, break even

  • Example:“I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!”
  • Example:“The company turned a loss after the first year.”