lose out

verb

lost out; losing out; loses out

intransitive verb

: to fail to win in competition : fail to receive an expected reward or gain

Examples of lose out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So the city loses out not only on new companies that would otherwise set up shop here but also on a group of founders who might have channeled their profits into the next generation of startups. — Mark Caro, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Year after year, Netflix’s crack awards team has racked up multiple nominations, only to lose out on Best Picture. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026

Both of her first two albums, Sour and Guts, have also been nominated for AOTY before, but ultimately lost out. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026

Patients lose out because the administrative bloat inflates the cost of medical care, while making costs less transparent and harder to contest. — Leah Pierson, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1858, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lose out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout