loser

noun

los·​er ˈlü-zər 

1

: a person or thing that loses especially consistently

The team had a reputation for being a loser year after year.

2

: a person who is incompetent or unable to succeed

Don't waste your time on that loser.

also : something doomed to fail or disappoint

… his position is a loser politically …

—Fred Barnes

Synonyms of loser

• disaster
• failure
• catastrophe
• disappointment

Examples of loser in a Sentence

The team had a reputation for being a loser year after year.

The loser of the bet has to buy drinks for the winner.

Whoever benefits from the new government programs, the real loser will be the American taxpayer.

That guy is a born loser.

Recent Examples on the Web

Broadly, of late, hardware's been the winner, and software and services have been the losers. — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 10 July 2026

Anthropic has already launched products for law firms and design firms; the primary losers there are software companies that hawk those services, like Harvey (law) and Figma (design). — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 July 2026

With political parties, as with boyfriends, few people are excited to invest in an insecure loser. — Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Having the discipline to remain calm, focused and adaptable is what separates the winners from the losers. — Alice Ferreira, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing loser

• bad/poor loser
• good loser
• sore loser

Rhymes for loser

• boozer
• bruiser
• chooser
• cruiser
• user
• abuser
• accuser
• diffuser
• multiuser