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Definition of loss leader
: something (such as merchandise) sold at a loss in order to draw customers
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Other Words from loss leader
loss-leader \ ˈlȯs-ˈlē-dər 
\ adjective
\ adjectiveExamples of loss leader in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web The nation’s sack and tackle for loss leader heading into the game, Rashed was shutout for the first time this season.
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oregonlive, "Blown fourth down decision? No. Three other factors played a bigger role in Oregon State’s 54-53 loss to Washington State: 10 takeaways," 24 Nov. 2019 Alibaba, Amazon’s Chinese counterpart, uses Ele.me as a loss leader helping drive traffic to its profitable e-commerce sites.
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The Economist, "The foodoo economics of meal delivery," 1 Aug. 2019 Microsoft, which has seen Xbox One hardware sales suffer on a relative basis, probably has more interest in using first-party titles (and even console hardware itself) as a kind of loss leader to attract more regular revenue through subscriptions.
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Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Sony has a PlayStation Now problem," 8 Nov. 2019 With no institutional commissions on his résumé, [Johnson] considered the temple a loss leader that would pad his credentials.
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Alex Beam, WSJ, "‘The Man in the Glass House’ Review: Throwing Stones at Philip Johnson," 2 Nov. 2018 For Delta, domestic first class was once a loss leader with the majority of seats being filled by free upgrades, but now 60% of the passengers in those seats pay for them.
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Alison Sider, WSJ, "Airlines’ Boarding Changes Reward Higher-Paying Travelers," 21 Dec. 2018 But Lowe and company see movie tickets as a loss leader to round up consumers—particularly young consumers.
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Kyle Stock, Bloomberg.com, "How Two Million People Loved MoviePass Nearly to Death," 16 May 2018 The Red Sox/Yankees game is likely to be a loss leader.
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The Economist, "Major League Baseball makes a pitch to Britain," 10 May 2018 Nonetheless, Spotify still faces tough challenges ahead, including but not limited to competition from international streaming players and from big tech's deep pockets that can afford to leverage music as a marketing loss leader.
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Cherie Hu, Billboard, "As Streaming Fuels Music Industry's Growth, More VC & Finance Veterans Move In," 4 Apr. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'loss leader.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for loss leader
The first known use of loss leader was in 1917
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