lose

verb (NOT HAVE)

/luːz/ (lost, lost)

Definition

1. Definition

2. Practise

A2 [T] to no longer have something because you do not know where it is, or because it has been taken away from you: I've lost my ticket. He's always losing his car keys. At least 600 staff will lose their jobs if the firm closes. He lost his leg in a car accident. She lost her mother (= her mother died) last year.Losing and lossWinning and losing B2 [T] to stop feeling something: to lose confidence/faith I lost interest halfway through the book. He kept on crying and I lost my patience.Losing and lossWinning and losing B1 [T] to have less of something than you had before: I'm trying to lose weight. He's losing his hair. She lost a lot of blood in the accident. to lose your memory/sightLosing and lossWinning and losing B2 [T] If you lose time, you waste it: Four million hours were lost last year through stress-related illnesses. We lost valuable time stuck in traffic.Wasting › [T] If a clock loses time, it goes more slowly than it should: My watch loses ten minutes every day.Watches and clocks › [T] informal to get rid of something: Lose the belt and let's see how the dress looks.Removing and getting rid of thingsTaking things away from someone or somewhere lose money, pounds, dollars, etc. C1 A business that is losing money is spending more money than it is receiving: Banks will lose millions of pounds because of new legislation.Profits and lossesStarting, succeeding and failing in business

(Definition of lose verb (NOT HAVE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)