lose the plot
idiomatic phrase
British, informal
: to become confused by or unable to deal with a situation
She was so nervous she thought she was going to lose the plot.
Examples of lose the plot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Read: Americans have lost the plot on cooking oil
The biggest drawback of olive oil, ignoring certain culinary questions (flavor, smoke point), has long been its price.
—
Rachel Sugar, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
But somewhere along the way, the front office has totally lost the plot.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Review: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 finds its horrors but loses the plot
When does the next episode of the 'The Last of Us' Season 2 come out?
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Here’s where the episode starts to lose the plot a little for me.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
In short: Voters, customers, investors and the MAGA elite say the Elon Musk show has lost the plot.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
There is a growing bipartisan consensus that American innovation has lost the plot.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Kira Scott has sort of lost the plot of her crusade.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2024
The full context of the Roundtable lost the plot a little bit.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2025
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Rachel Sugar, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
But somewhere along the way, the front office has totally lost the plot.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Review: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 finds its horrors but loses the plot
When does the next episode of the 'The Last of Us' Season 2 come out?
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Here’s where the episode starts to lose the plot a little for me.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
In short: Voters, customers, investors and the MAGA elite say the Elon Musk show has lost the plot.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2025
There is a growing bipartisan consensus that American innovation has lost the plot.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Kira Scott has sort of lost the plot of her crusade.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2024
The full context of the Roundtable lost the plot a little bit.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lose the plot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lose%20the%20plot. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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