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
Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Those costs don’t include legal expenses for fighting multiple lawsuits challenging DOGE’s cuts or the lost tax revenue from IRS staff layoffs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
Each mayor was also able to tell stories about personal interactions and interventions in their cities that spoke to the sense of a lost community that came to define the turn of the 21st century.
—Richardson Dilworth, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025
Also, Democrats said making up lost revenue could result in higher fees on services or a need to increase sales taxes.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 21 Nov. 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.
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Adjective
Yet the bazaars in those early nineteen-fifties were not so crowded as that, and Rawalpindi a town small enough that a lost little boy should be found.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Those costs don’t include legal expenses for fighting multiple lawsuits challenging DOGE’s cuts or the lost tax revenue from IRS staff layoffs.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025
Each mayor was also able to tell stories about personal interactions and interventions in their cities that spoke to the sense of a lost community that came to define the turn of the 21st century.
—Richardson Dilworth, The Conversation, 21 Nov. 2025
Also, Democrats said making up lost revenue could result in higher fees on services or a need to increase sales taxes.
—Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 21 Nov. 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 26 Nov. 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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