lose - meaning, examples in English

verb “lose”

 lose; he loses; past lost, part. lost; ger. losing

to not succeed in winning a competition or game
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She lost the chess game after a risky move.
to be unable to find
I lost my keys and can't get into my house.
to no longer possess a part of the body
He lost his first tooth when he was six years old.
to have someone die who is close to you
He lost his grandfather to cancer last year.
to not retain money
The company lost thousands of dollars when the marketing campaign flopped.
to be fired from (a job)
She lost her keys and couldn't get into her house.
to decrease in body weight
She's been working hard to lose ten pounds before her wedding.
(informal) to confuse someone to the point where they can't understand
When you started explaining quantum physics, you completely lost me.
to stop being able to track (someone or something)
During the pursuit, the policeman lost the suspect in the crowded market.
to make (someone) so that they cannot track or follow you
After turning sharply into a narrow alley, the suspects lost the police car that was following them.
to stop showing a certain behavior or emotion
After the teacher's warning, he quickly lost his smirk and paid attention.
(informal) to get rid of something
Before we take the group photo, could you lose the sunglasses?
to show a time that is behind the actual time
Every month, the old clock in the hallway loses about ten minutes, so we have to reset it often.