1
: not made use of, won, or claimed
a lost opportunity
2
a
: no longer possessed
a lost reputation
b
: no longer known
a lost tunnel
3
: ruined or destroyed physically or morally : desperate
a lost soul
4
a
: taken away or beyond reach or attainment : denied
regions lost to the faith
b
: insensible, hardened
lost to shame
5
a
: unable to find the way
b
: no longer visible
lost in the crowd
c
: lacking assurance or self-confidence : helpless
lost without his glasses
7
: not appreciated or understood : wasted
Their jokes were lost on me.
8
: obscured or overlooked during a process or activity
lost in translation
9
: hopelessly unattainable : futile
a lost cause
Examples of lost in a Sentence
Adjective
He was looking for his lost keys.
Many have tried to find the ruins of the lost city.
We took a wrong turn and got lost.
Hold my hand. I don't want you to get lost.
He has been trying to recapture his lost youth.
The original music is lost to us forever.
Recent Examples on the Web
Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
The film centers on Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), a British major tasked with measuring the border between Brazil and Bolivia who discovers possible evidence of a lost city in the jungles of the Amazon.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025
Much of Erdmann’s music later disappeared, and the surviving fragments, humidly late-Romantic in style, don’t suggest a lost masterpiece.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
In contrast, people who stopped injections without taking the pill, called orforglipron, gained back a significant amount of the lost weight.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lost
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
He's not seen any lost steam in the viral pickup; in fact, it's only reached bigger audiences, with massive brands, franchises and A-listers using his unmistakable audio.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
The film centers on Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), a British major tasked with measuring the border between Brazil and Bolivia who discovers possible evidence of a lost city in the jungles of the Amazon.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Dec. 2025
Much of Erdmann’s music later disappeared, and the surviving fragments, humidly late-Romantic in style, don’t suggest a lost masterpiece.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
In contrast, people who stopped injections without taking the pill, called orforglipron, gained back a significant amount of the lost weight.
—Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lost
Cite this Entry
“Lost.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lost. Accessed 30 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lost
adjective1
: not used, won, or claimed
lost opportunities
2
: no longer possessed or known
a long lost uncle
3
: ruined or destroyed physically or morally
4
: unable to find the way
a lost puppy
5
: having the mind absorbed and not aware of surroundings
lost in daydreams
6
: futile
a lost cause
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