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

Given both are in the top 10 of the CFP rankings, the winner will be in the driver's seat for the automatic berth while the loser can lose control of their destiny. —Jordan Mendoza, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

The ability to create and absorb failure has always been a key resource in an industry whose losers historically outnumber its winners. —Peter Bart, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025

Copek and Schrenzel both received 67 votes out of a total 335 votes cast for five candidates, tying them for third place and necessitating a tiebreaker, with the loser securing fourth place. —Mason Leath, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025

But Drew Baldridge counters the idea that nice guys are losers. —Tom Roland, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2025

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