to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery: I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
2.
to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered: I just lost a dime under this sofa.
3.
to suffer the deprivation of: to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
4.
to be bereaved of by death: to lose a sister.
5.
to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain: to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.
6.
(of a clock or watch) to run slower by: The watch loses three minutes a day.
7.
to give up; forfeit the possession of: to lose a fortune at the gaming table.
8.
to get rid of: to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight.
9.
to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively): Ship and crew were lost.
10.
to condemn to hell; damn.
11.
to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc.: to lose him in the crowd.
12.
to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.): to lose one's bearings.
13.
to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.; outstrip: She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.
14.
to use to no purpose; waste: to lose time in waiting.
15.
to fail to have, get, catch, etc.; miss: to lose a bargain.
16.
to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.): to lose a bet.
17.
to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.): He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.
18.
to cause the loss of: The delay lost the battle for them.
19.
to let (oneself) go astray, miss the way, etc.: We lost ourselves in the woods.
20.
to allow (oneself) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else: I had lost myself in thought.
21.
(of a physician) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient).
22.
(of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.
–verb (used without object)
23.
to suffer loss: to lose on a contract.
24.
to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game: We played well, but we lost.
25.
to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality: a classic that loses in translation.
26.
(of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.
—Verb phrase
27.
lose out, to suffer defeat or loss; fail to obtain something desired: He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.
Lost Battalion, in World War I, popular name given to those American units of the 77th Division—six companies of the 1st and 2d battalions of the 308th Infantry, one company of the 307th Infantry, and the platoons of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion—that were cut off by German forces after the launching of an American attack in the Argonne Forest in early Oct., 1918. The Lost Battalion, numbering about 600 men and under the command of Major Charles W. Whittlesey, put up a heroic five-day defense in the Binarville Ravine without food, water, or reserve ammunition. After withstanding several heavy barrages and attacks, the Lost Battalion, which defiantly refused the German demand of surrender, was rescued (Oct. 8, 1918) by American relief troops. Some 400 men of the Lost Battalion perished.
See T. M. Johnson and F. Pratt, The Lost Battalion (1938).
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Audio Help [looz] Pronunciation Key verb, lost, los·ing. 