Skip to content
APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

lose

/luz/

Press play to hear how to pronounce lose.

American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
Watch on YouTube ↗

What does lose mean?

verb

  1. To cease to have (something) in one's possession or capability.
  2. To have (an organ) removed from one's body, especially by accident.
  3. To shed (weight).
More meanings (15)

verb

  1. To experience the death of (someone to whom one has an attachment, such as a relative or friend).
  2. To pay or owe (some wager) due from an unsuccessful bet or gamble.
  3. To be deprived of (some right or privileged access to something).
  4. To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to find; to go astray from.
  5. To become a defeated competitor in (a game, competition, trial, etc).
  6. To be defeated (in a game, competition, contest, etc.)
  7. To be unable to follow or trace (somebody or something) any longer.
  8. To cause (somebody) to be unable to follow or trace one any longer.
  9. To cease exhibiting; to overcome (a behavior or emotion).
  10. (informal) To shed, remove, discard, or eliminate.
  11. Of a clock, to run slower than expected.
  12. To cause (someone) the loss of something; to deprive of.
  13. To fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss.

noun

  1. Alternative form of loos (“praise; fame; reputation”).

proper noun

  1. A surname from German.
Wiktionary contributors Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/luz/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

She would soon begin, not only to lose confidence in her neighbors, but also to feel a disposition equally unfavorable to them.
Alexander Hamilton; John Jay; James MadisonThe Federalist PapersProject Gutenberg ebook #18
And all the clouds that lowered o’er our housetops, With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action.
Mark TwainAdventures of Huckleberry FinnProject Gutenberg ebook #76
More book examples (3)
“It is that you may lose your two other bets! Then we shall be sure not to be stopped on our journey!”
Jules VerneFrom the Earth to the moon; and, round the moonProject Gutenberg ebook #83
On such a full sea are we now afloat, And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100
Brambles, though churlish when handled, are kindly shelter in early winter, being the latest of the deciduous bushes to lose their leaves.
Thomas HardyThe Return of the NativeProject Gutenberg ebook #122