lose
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++lose /luːz/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle lost /lɒst $ lɒːst/) 1 stop having attitude/quality etc 不再有某种态度/品质等 [transitive] to stop having a particular attitude, quality, ability etc, or to gradually have less of it 丧失，失去〔某种态度、品质、能力等〕 → loss I’ve lost my appetite. 我已经没有了胃口。lose confidence/interest/hope etc The business community has lost confidence in the government. 商界已经对政府失去了信心。 Carol lost interest in ballet in her teens. 卡萝尔在十多岁的时候对芭蕾舞失去了兴趣。 Try not to lose heart (=become sad and hopeless) – there are plenty of other jobs. 不要灰心―还有很多其他的工作。lose face (=stop having as much respect from other people) 丢面子，出丑 A settlement was reached in which neither side lost face. 达成了一个双方都不失面子的协议。lose weight/height/speed etc You’re looking slim. Have you lost weight? 你看上去很苗条啊，体重是不是减轻了？ The plane emptied its fuel tanks as it started losing altitude. 飞机开始从高空下降时排空了油箱。lose your sight/hearing/voice/balance etc Mr Eyer may lose the sight in one eye. 艾埃尔先生有一只眼睛可能会失明。 The tour was postponed when the lead singer lost his voice. 由于主唱失声，巡回演出推迟了。 Julian lost his balance and fell. 朱利安失去平衡摔倒了。lose your touch (=become less skilled at doing something you used to do well) 失去技能，生疏 This latest movie proves Altman is by no means losing his touch. 这部最新影片证明奥特曼宝刀未老。 By the time the ambulance arrived, Douglas had lost consciousness. 救护车赶到时，道格拉斯已经失去知觉。lose all sense of time/direction/proportion etc When he was writing, he lost all sense of time. 他在写作的时候完全没有了时间概念。lose sight of something (=forget an important fact about a situation) 忽略某事 We must never lose sight of the fact that man must work in harmony with nature. 我们绝不能忘记这一点——人类必须与大自然和谐共处。2 not win 没赢 [intransitive, transitive]LOSE A GAME, COMPETITION, OR WAR to not win a game, argument, election, war etc 输掉〔比赛、辩论、选举、战争等〕 OPP win → defeat They played so badly they deserved to lose. 他们打得这么差，输了活该。 Klinger lost his seat in the election. 克林格在选举中失去了他的席位。 Arkansas just lost three games in a row. 阿肯色队一连输了三场比赛。 He just can’t bear to lose an argument. 他和别人争论的时候就是输不起。lose to The Beavers have dropped only one game since losing to Oregon in January. 海狸队自1月份败给俄勒冈队以来只输过一场比赛。lose (something) by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc The government lost by one vote. 政府以一票之差落马。 The Communist candidate lost by a whisker (=a very small amount). 共产党候选人仅以几票之差落选。 Freddie died in 1982 after losing his battle against AIDS. 弗雷迪与艾滋病抗争失败，于1982年去世。lose somebody something It was a rash decision, and it lost him the race (=caused him to lose the race). 这个决定太轻率，使他输掉了比赛。3 cannot find STH 找不着某物 [transitive]LOSE/CAN'T FIND to become unable to find someone or something 丢失，找不到4 stop having STH 不再拥有某物 [transitive]LOSE/NOT HAVE ANYMORE if you lose something that is important or necessary, you then no longer have it, especially because it has been taken from you or destroyed 丧失，失去〔重要或需要的东西〕 → loss5 death 死亡 [transitive]DIE6 money 钱 [intransitive, transitive] if you lose money, you then have less money than you had before （使）亏损，（使）损失 → loss7 have nothing to lose spokenLOSE A GAME, COMPETITION, OR WAR if you have nothing to lose, it is worth taking a risk because you cannot make your situation any worse 〔即使不成功也〕不会损失什么，不会吃亏8 time 时间 [transitive]9 lose your way/bearings 10 lose touch (with somebody/something) 11 lose your temper/cool/rag to become angry 发脾气，发怒12 lose your head to become unable to behave calmly or sensibly 失去理智13 lose your mind to become crazy 发疯 SYN go crazy, go mad14 lose it spoken informal15 lose yourself in something TAKE PART/BE INVOLVEDto be paying so much attention to something that you do not notice anything else 全神贯注于某事，专心于某事16 escape 摆脱 [transitive] if you lose someone who is chasing you, you manage to escape from them 摆脱，甩掉〔追赶者〕17 confuse SB 使某人糊涂 [transitive] spoken informal to confuse someone when you are trying to explain something to them 〔试图解释时〕把…搞糊涂18 remove STH 除去某物 [transitive] to remove a part or feature of something that is not necessary or wanted 去掉，拿掉，删掉19 lose something in the translation/telling to be less good than the original form 翻译/转述过程中失去了味道20 lose out phrasal verb GETto not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead 失去，丧失〔好的或有价值的东西〕 → lost2, → lose count at count2(3), → lose sleep over something at sleep2(4)→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lose• I need to lose 10 pounds before the wedding.• NRT Corporation lost $2.2 million in the most recent quarter on sales of $6.3 million.• I'm not playing tennis with her any more - I always lose.• In most Western democracies in the twentieth century, legislatures have lost a great deal of ground to executive branches.• Michelle lost her job again.• Sharon lost her mother when she was very young.• Professor Wilkes lost his sight in an accident three years ago.• He lost his title unexpectedly to a man who is virtually unknown outside boxing circles.• "What are you looking for?" "My purse. I think I might have lost it."• Neil put the certificate in a drawer so he wouldn't lose it.• I was a step away from triumph and did not want to lose it.• Josefina and I were plumb about to lose it.• I'll lose my job if the factory closes.• They have lost no time in sounding the alarm about an impending famine, which they say threatens 1.9m people.• Investors lost several million dollars on the project.• It's a terrible thing to lose someone very close to you.• Last week was the first time Hastert had lost such a procedural vote.• Noel lost the argument.• Everyone expected the Democrats to lose the election.• Many people think that the Democrats' tax policies lost them the election.• England lost to Brazil in the final.• I always lose when I play tennis with my sister.• Oh there you are - I thought I'd lost you.• Sorry, you lost your chance.• If you lose your credit card, phone this number immediately.lose confidence/interest/hope etc• We've lost hope..• So much for women losing interest after midlife!• In Queretaro it seems it also lost interest in doing so.• Leonora lost interest in her breakfast.• I've lost interest in it, I said.• It seemed that he had lost interest in politics.• Without recognition, people lose interest in success.• This is a problem because fathers who do not live with their children lose interest in them.losing ... battle• Against concerted action by local authorities the individual librarian would be fighting a very hard and probably losing battle.• But more worrying is that Ragu is losing his present battle.• But they were losing the battle.• Although already gravely ill, she posed for this graduation picture just days before losing her battle against cancer.• He tried hard to do this, but he was fighting a losing battle here against the rising tide of papal authority.• However, whilst such a provision can prevent the business losing the battle of forms, it can not guarantee victory.• Nor can we underestimate the consequences of losing the battle to poor eating and exercise habits.lost forever• But that Spring Hill may be lost for ever, some residents say.• Energy expressed in a passive way is lost for ever.• In the process, many irrecoverable secrets of nature are being lost for ever.• Many of these will be lost for ever, before they have even been named.• Much water has been lost for ever from Mars, blasted into space by comet and asteroid impacts.• Some would never appear, vaporized, lost for ever, having ceased to exist.• They could be lost for ever by a single failure of vigilance.• Wildlife lost for ever Many rainforest species can not live anywhere else.losing ... job• She knew her brother hated losing his job.• Ten percent of us every year are going to be losing our jobs.• Then he implied that Lynne Donato had been talking to him about me losing my job.• They fear not making the new higher performance standard and losing their jobs.• Was it fear of losing her job?• Placido Domingo will release an album that deals solely with the topics of losing your job and your girl.• Many have awful stories to tell about being bullied at school, losing jobs, broken relationships.• It could turn out eventually that losing your job has led to a whole new and better career.stand to lose• After all, what more could she possibly stand to lose?• What does the publisher or author stand to lose?• Hence a director of a company may stand to lose financially even though the company has limited liability.• Unfortunately, as already described, Croydon Corporation saw things rather differently and thought they would stand to lose financially.• Assuming that Short had been playing it straight, then there remained the question of who stood to lose if Pendero won.• But if prices decline, you stand to lose more as well.• After all, she was the one who stood to lose most.• Creditors and investors stood to lose vast sums.lose no time in doing something• After the war, physicians lost no time in prescribing it to dieters.• And true to form Graham Sale lost no time in capitalising on an opportunity presenting Douglas Hurd with his own clock.• General Grant... lost no time in pushing to the front...• He has three young daughters of his own, and loses no time in stamping his authority on the entire brood.• John the Baptist urges us to lose no time in making a straight way for the Lord.• Now with more land available, Porter lost no time in leaving his home at Canandaigua and moving to Niagara.• Telephone companies lost no time in announcing that they plan to aggressively expand.• They have lost no time in sounding the alarm about an impending famine, which they say threatens 1.9m people.From Longman Business Dictionaryloselose /luːz/ verb (past tense and past participle lost /lɒstlɒːst/, present participle losing) [transitive]1to stop having something any more, or to have less of itThe industry has lost 60,000 jobs.After a boardroom battle, Dixon lost control of the company.They lost business by not giving credit.lose something to somebodyWe started losing customers to cheaper rivals.The big national chains were losing market share to independent one-person operations.2to have less money than you had before or to spend more money than you are receivingWe all lost money when the firm collapsed.The group is estimated to have lost $36 million last year.lost revenueThe resulting crisis of confidence lost the bank (=caused the bank to lose) £30 million in deposits.3FINANCEto fall to a lower figure or priceIn Tokyo, the Nikkei stock index lost 644.82 to close at 17,791.55.Its shares lost 25p to 104p on the results.4lose ground to become less in value or to lose an advantageSterling lost ground against the euro.When the bid failed to appear, shares lost ground.5lose your shirt informal to lose a lot of moneyWhen the recession came, many companies lost their shirts. → lose out→ See Verb tableOrigin lose Old English losian “to destroy or be destroyed, to lose”stop quality, attitude, etc, to Business a ability having particular Corpus
lose
lose S1 W1 /luːz/
verb (past tense and past participle lost /lɒst $ lɒːst/)
I’ve lost my appetite.
lose confidence/interest/hope etc
The business community has lost confidence in the government.
Carol lost interest in ballet in her teens.
Try not to lose heart (=become sad and hopeless) – there are plenty of other jobs.
lose face (=stop having as much respect from other people)
A settlement was reached in which neither side lost face.
lose weight/height/speed etc
You’re looking slim. Have you lost weight?
The plane emptied its fuel tanks as it started losing altitude.
lose your sight/hearing/voice/balance etc
Mr Eyer may lose the sight in one eye.
The tour was postponed when the lead singer lost his voice.
Julian lost his balance and fell.
lose your touch (=become less skilled at doing something you used to do well)
This latest movie proves Altman is by no means losing his touch.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Douglas had lost consciousness.
lose all sense of time/direction/proportion etc
When he was writing, he lost all sense of time.
lose sight of something (=forget an important fact about a situation)
We must never lose sight of the fact that man must work in harmony with nature.
2. NOT WIN [intransitive and transitive] to not win a game, argument, election, war etc
OPP win ⇨ defeat:
They played so badly they deserved to lose.
Klinger lost his seat in the election.
Arkansas just lost three games in a row.
He just can’t bear to lose an argument.
lose to
The Beavers have dropped only one game since losing to Oregon in January.
lose (something) by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc
The government lost by one vote.
The Communist candidate lost by a whisker (=a very small amount).
Freddie died in 1982 after losing his battle against AIDS.
lose somebody something
It was a rash decision, and it lost him the race (=caused him to lose the race).
3. CANNOT FIND SOMETHING [transitive] to become unable to find someone or something:
I’ve lost the tickets for tonight’s show.
I followed her on foot, but lost her in the crowd.
It was thought the manuscript had been lost forever.
be/get lost in the post British English be/get lost in the mail American English:
The parcel must have got lost in the post.
lose track of something/somebody (=stop knowing where someone or something is)
He lost track of her after her family moved away.
lose sight of something/somebody (=stop being able to see someone or something)
Don’t try to walk in a heavy snowstorm as you may lose sight of your vehicle. ⇨ lost property
4. STOP HAVING SOMETHING [transitive] if you lose something that is important or necessary, you then no longer have it, especially because it has been taken from you or destroyed ⇨ loss:
David’s very upset about losing his job.
Hundreds of people lost their homes in the floods.
My family lost everything in the war.
He was over the limit and will lose his licence.
90 naval aircraft were lost and 31 damaged.
lose a chance/opportunity
If you hesitate, you may lose the opportunity to compete altogether.
lose something to somebody/something
We were losing customers to cheaper rivals.
She was about to lose her husband to a younger woman.
California has lost 90% of its wetlands to development.
lose an arm/leg/eye etc
He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident.
He’s lost a lot of blood but his life is not in danger.
lose somebody something
the mistakes which lost him his kingdom (=caused him to lose his kingdom)
5. DEATH [transitive]
a. lose your life to die:
a memorial to honor those who lost their lives in the war
b. if you lose a relative or friend, they die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’ ⇨ loss:
One woman in Brooklyn lost a husband and two sons in the gang wars.
Sadly, Anna lost the baby (=her baby died before it was born).
lose somebody to cancer/AIDS etc
He lost his father to cancer (=his father died of cancer) last year.
Peter was lost at sea when his ship sank.
6. MONEY [intransitive and transitive] if you lose money, you then have less money than you had before ⇨ loss
lose on
The company is in debt after losing an estimated $30 million on its dotcom enterprise.
Creditors and investors stand to lose (=risk losing) vast sums after the company’s collapse.
A lot of people lost their shirts (=lost a lot of money) on Ferraris in the eighties.
It’s a great deal – we can’t lose!
lose somebody something
The stock market crash lost the banks £70 million (=caused them to lose £70 million).
7. have nothing to lose spoken if you have nothing to lose, it is worth taking a risk because you cannot make your situation any worse:
You might as well apply for the job – you’ve got nothing to lose.
have nothing to lose but your pride/reputation etc
The working class has nothing to lose but its chains. (=disadvantages, restrictions etc).
have a lot/too much to lose (=used to say that you could make your situation much worse)
These youngsters know they have too much to lose by protesting against the system.
8. TIME [transitive]
a. if you lose time, you do not make progress as quickly as you want to or should
lose time/2 days/3 hours etc
Vital minutes were lost because the ambulance took half an hour to arrive.
In 1978, 29 million days were lost in industrial action.
Come on, there’s no time to lose (=do not waste time).
lose no time in doing something (=do something immediately)
Murdock lost no time in taking out a patent for his invention.
b. if a watch, clock etc loses time, it runs too slowly and shows an earlier time than it should
OPP gain
9. lose your way/bearings
a. to stop knowing where you are or which direction you should go in:
I lost my way in the network of tiny alleys.
b. to become uncertain about your beliefs or what you should do:
The company seems to have lost its way of late.
10. lose touch (with somebody/something)
a. if two people lose touch, they gradually stop communicating, for example by no longer phoning or writing to each other:
I’ve lost touch with all my old school friends.
They lost touch when Di got married and moved away.
b. if you lose touch with a situation or group, you are then no longer involved in it and so do not know about it or understand it:
They claim the prime minister has lost touch with the party.
It sometimes appears that the planners have lost touch with reality.
11. lose your temper/cool/rag to become angry
lose your temper/cool/rag with
Diana was determined not to lose her temper with him.
12. lose your head to become unable to behave calmly or sensibly:
You’ve all heard that Nadal lost his head over a girl?
13. lose your mind to become crazy
SYN go crazy, go mad:
Nicholas looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
14. lose it spoken informal
a. to become very angry and upset:
She completely lost it with one of the kids in class.
b. (also lose the plot) to become crazy or confused:
I could see people thinking I’d totally lost the plot.
15. lose yourself in something to be paying so much attention to something that you do not notice anything else:
She listened intently to the music, losing herself in its beauty.
16. ESCAPE [transitive] if you lose someone who is chasing you, you manage to escape from them:
There’s a better chance of losing him if we take the back route.
17. CONFUSE SOMEBODY [transitive] spoken informal to confuse someone when you are trying to explain something to them:
Explain it again – you’ve lost me already.
18. REMOVE SOMETHING [transitive] to remove a part or feature of something that is not necessary or wanted:
You could lose the last paragraph to make it fit on one page.
19. lose something in the translation/telling to be less good than the original form:
The joke loses something in the translation.
⇨ lost2, ⇨ lose count at count2(3), ⇨ lose sleep over something at sleep2(4)
lose out phrasal verb
to not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead:
The deal will ensure that shareholders do not lose out financially.
lose out to
He lost out to Roy Scheider for the lead role.
lose out on
Workers who don’t take up training may lose out on promotion.
lose S1 W1 /luːz/
verb (past tense and past participle lost /lɒst $ lɒːst/) Language: Old English
Origin: losian 'to destroy or be destroyed, to lose'
1. STOP HAVING ATTITUDE/QUALITY ETC [transitive] to stop having a particular attitude, quality, ability etc, or to gradually have less of it ⇨ loss:Origin: losian 'to destroy or be destroyed, to lose'
lose confidence/interest/hope etc
lose face (=stop having as much respect from other people)
lose weight/height/speed etc
lose your sight/hearing/voice/balance etc
lose your touch (=become less skilled at doing something you used to do well)
lose all sense of time/direction/proportion etc
lose sight of something (=forget an important fact about a situation)
2. NOT WIN [intransitive and transitive] to not win a game, argument, election, war etc
OPP win ⇨ defeat:
lose to
lose (something) by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc
lose somebody something
3. CANNOT FIND SOMETHING [transitive] to become unable to find someone or something:
be/get lost in the post British English be/get lost in the mail American English:
lose track of something/somebody (=stop knowing where someone or something is)
lose sight of something/somebody (=stop being able to see someone or something)
4. STOP HAVING SOMETHING [transitive] if you lose something that is important or necessary, you then no longer have it, especially because it has been taken from you or destroyed ⇨ loss:
lose a chance/opportunity
lose something to somebody/something
lose an arm/leg/eye etc
lose somebody something
5. DEATH [transitive]
a. lose your life to die:
b. if you lose a relative or friend, they die – use this when you want to avoid saying the word ‘die’ ⇨ loss:
lose somebody to cancer/AIDS etc
6. MONEY [intransitive and transitive] if you lose money, you then have less money than you had before ⇨ loss
lose on
lose somebody something
7. have nothing to lose spoken if you have nothing to lose, it is worth taking a risk because you cannot make your situation any worse:
have nothing to lose but your pride/reputation etc
have a lot/too much to lose (=used to say that you could make your situation much worse)
8. TIME [transitive]
a. if you lose time, you do not make progress as quickly as you want to or should
lose time/2 days/3 hours etc
lose no time in doing something (=do something immediately)
b. if a watch, clock etc loses time, it runs too slowly and shows an earlier time than it should
OPP gain
9. lose your way/bearings
a. to stop knowing where you are or which direction you should go in:
b. to become uncertain about your beliefs or what you should do:
10. lose touch (with somebody/something)
a. if two people lose touch, they gradually stop communicating, for example by no longer phoning or writing to each other:
b. if you lose touch with a situation or group, you are then no longer involved in it and so do not know about it or understand it:
11. lose your temper/cool/rag to become angry
lose your temper/cool/rag with
12. lose your head to become unable to behave calmly or sensibly:
13. lose your mind to become crazy
SYN go crazy, go mad:
14. lose it spoken informal
a. to become very angry and upset:
b. (also lose the plot) to become crazy or confused:
15. lose yourself in something to be paying so much attention to something that you do not notice anything else:
16. ESCAPE [transitive] if you lose someone who is chasing you, you manage to escape from them:
17. CONFUSE SOMEBODY [transitive] spoken informal to confuse someone when you are trying to explain something to them:
18. REMOVE SOMETHING [transitive] to remove a part or feature of something that is not necessary or wanted:
19. lose something in the translation/telling to be less good than the original form:
⇨ lost2, ⇨ lose count at count2(3), ⇨ lose sleep over something at sleep2(4)
lose out phrasal verb
to not get something good, valuable etc because someone else gets it instead:
lose out to
lose out on
