Language Research

lose · verb

/luːz/Full view

Word family

Nouns: loser, loss

Adjectives: lost

Verbs: lose

lose (NOT FIND)

A2 T to not be able to find someone or something

Dictionary examples:

I've lost my passport.

She's always losing her car keys.

Learner example:

I think that I lost my ring. (Key English Test; A2; Portuguese)

lose (NOT HAVE)

B1 T to stop having something that you had before

Dictionary examples:

Many people will lose their jobs if the comapny goes out of business.

He lost his leg in a car accident.

She lost her mother last year.

Learner example:

Actually, I lost my job last week. (Preliminary English Test; B1; Chinese)

lose (NOT WIN)

B1 I or T to fail to succeed in a game, competition, etc.

Dictionary examples:

If we lose this game, we're out of the championship.

They're losing 3-1.

They lost to the Blue Jays.

Everyone hates losing an argument.

They hadn't lost an election in fifteen years.

Learner example:

We were in the final, but we lost it. (Preliminary English Test; B1; German)

lose (HAVE LESS)

B1 T to have less of something than you had before

Dictionary examples:

I'm trying to lose weight.

He's losing his hair.

She lost a lot of blood in the accident.

to lose your memory/sight

Learner example:

I want to borrow your bicycle becau[s]e I am getting fat and I need it to do some training to lose weight. (Preliminary English Test; B1; Arabic)

lose your life

B2 to die

Dictionary example:

Millions of young men lost their lives in the war.

Learner example:

A man who ha[s] experience after a lot of years driving [is less likely] to lose his life in an accident than another new driver. (First Certificate in English; B2; Greek)

lose interest/patience, etc.

B2 to stop feeling something good

Dictionary examples:

I'm rapidly losing interest in the whole subject.

He kept on yelling and I lost my patience.

Learner example:

Moreover the microphone suddenly wouldn't work anymore, and even though I desperately tried to speak up, people began to lose interest in both my speech and me and simply started to talk to each other instead. (First Certificate in English; B2; Danish)

lose your temper

B2 to suddenly become angry

Dictionary example:

When I feel like I'm about to lose my temper, I just leave the room.

Learner example:

Yesterday, I must confess, I lost my temper with my son. (First Certificate in English; B2; Portuguese)

lose (TIME/OPPORTUNITY)

B2 T to waste something such as time or an opportunity

Dictionary examples:

Four million hours at work were lost last year through stress-related illnesses.

We lost valuable time stuck in traffic.

Because of illness, she lost the chance for a place on the team.

Learner example:

You lose a lot of time when you have to find a place to park. (First Certificate in English; B2; Spanish)

lose touch

B2 to stop communicating with someone, usually because they do not live near you now

Dictionary example:

We lost touch over the years.

Learner example:

Without a computer and a telephone, I c[a]n't contact her easily and I may lose touch with her. (First Certificate in English; B2; Japanese)

lose track

B2 to not know what is happening to someone or something any more

Dictionary example:

I've lost track of how much we've spent.

Learner example:

And, do you remember the time we went for a walk and lost track of time? (First Certificate in English; B2; Portuguese)

lose your voice

B2 to become unable to speak, often because of an illness

Dictionary example:

She had a bad cold and was losing her voice.

Learner example:

I immediately became agitated and at the precise moment of my speech I lost my voice completely. (First Certificate in English; B2; Italian)

lose (MONEY)

C1 to make less money than you spend

Dictionary examples:

He lost a lot of money when he sold his house.

Her company lost over $3 million last year.

Learner example:

The reported information about the income was completely wrong; in fact, the target figure we had set has been fully reached and this obviously means that the hospital didn't lose any money. (Certificate in Advanced English; C1; Italian)

lose your balance

C1 to fall because you are leaning too much to one side

Dictionary example:

He lost his balance and fell down the stairs.

Learner example:

The most exciting part was when we accidently hit a rock and I lost my balance and fell into the cold water. (Certificate in Advanced English; C1; Greek)

lose your head

C1 to stop being calm in a difficult situation

Dictionary example:

I saw the fire and I lost my head.

Learner example:

She has never lost her head in dangerous s[i]tuations and she always knows what to do. (Certificate in Advanced English; C1; Polish)

lose face

C2 to become less respected by others because of something you did

Dictionary example:

She had to find a way to accept defeat without losing face.

Learner example:

However, many popular people like Pierce Brosnan managed to keep their lives out of the press and yet be present to meet public demand without losing face. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; German)

lose your cool

C2 to suddenly become very angry

Dictionary example:

She lost her cool and started shouting.

lose count

C2 to forget how many of something there is

Dictionary example:

I've lost count of how many of times she's been late.

Learner example:

I lost count [of] how often I heard this sentence when I used to work for a drug company. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Dutch)

lose sight of sth

C2 to forget about an important idea or fact because you are thinking too much about other, less important things

Dictionary example:

We mustn't lose sight of the original aims of this project.

Learner example:

Little do we realize that in the process we lose sight of the fundamentals, which in this case is the protection of our environment. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Greek)

lose sleep over something

C2 to worry about something

Dictionary example:

I know she's angry with me, but I'm not losing any sleep over it.

Learner example:

[There] was just one house, a magnificent mansion behind a high fence, that bothered me a bit. No one from there came to meet me. But in the hassle of the first few weeks I was simply too busy to lose any sleep over it. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; Polish)