Lose
Lose (loz) , transitive verb
[Old English losien to loose, be lost, lose, Anglo-Saxon losian to become loose; akin to Old English leosen to lose, p. p. loren, lorn, Anglo-Saxon leísan, p. p. loren (in comp.), Dutch verliezen, German verlieren, Danish forlise, Swedish forlisa, forlora, Gothic fraliusan, also to English loose, a & v., Latin luere to loose, Greek ly`ein, Sanskrit lū to cut. r127. Compare Analysis, Palsy, Solve, Forlorn, Leasing, Loose, Loss.]
1.
To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.; to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg by amputation; to lose men in battle.
Fair Venus wept the sad disaster
Of having lost her favorite dove.
2.
To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to lose one's health.
If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?
3.
Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the benefits of instruction.
The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose.
4.
To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to go astray from; as, to lose one's way.
He hath lost his fellows.
5.
To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on the ledge.
The woman that deliberates is lost.
6.
To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd.
Like following life thro' creatures you dissect,
You lose it in the moment you detect.
7.
To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence, to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I lost a part of what he said.
He shall in no wise lose his reward.
I fought the battle bravely which I lost,
And lost it but to Macedonians.
8.
To cause to part with; to deprive of. [Rare]
How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves with so much passion?
9.
To prevent from gaining or obtaining.
O false heart! thou hadst almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory.
In the excitement of such a discovery, many scholars lost their heads.
Collocations (3)
To lose ground , to fall behind; to suffer gradual loss or disadvantage.
To lose heart , to lose courage; to become timid. The mutineers lost heart.
To lose one's head , to be thrown off one's balance; to lose the use of one's good sense or judgment, through fear, anger, or other emotion.
Lose , intransitive verb
To suffer loss, disadvantage, or defeat; to be worse off, esp. as the result of any kind of contest.
We 'll... hear poor rogues
Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too,
Who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out.