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

Gaskell noted that a relatively small number of active losers account for a substantial amount of sportsbooks’ revenue. — ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026

But if everyone is in this trade, what’s going to differentiate winners and losers? — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

There are a lot of losers, and the few winners face a struggle to keep their profits. — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

Auto sales have been sluggish for an extended period, and the shares have been a loser on Wall Street this year, down 18%, the only megacap tech stock that’s failed to generate positive returns for investors. — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 3 Oct. 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