1
2
as in to drop
to fail to win, gain, or obtain
if the team loses this game, they're out of the play-offs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to fall
to undergo defeat
she really hates to lose at anything, and inevitably throws tantrums when it happens
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to discard
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
we told the recent grad to lose the flashy shirts and dress conservatively for the job interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to spend
to use up carelessly
we lost a good hour while he tried to find his keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lose
The move against Starmer comes after the ruling Labour Party performed badly in local elections last week, losing votes to parties on both the left and right of the political spectrum.
—
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Even if Musk loses, the trial has invited further scrutiny of Altman’s leadership at a pivotal time for the company and its competition with Musk’s own AI firm and another rival, Anthropic, formed by a group of seven ex-OpenAI leaders.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Unable to neatly reconcile its two narrative premises, the film loses momentum, pushing well past the brisk runtime and zippy pace this kind of material usually depends on.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
The Angels also lost for the 16th time in their last 21 games.
—CBS News, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lose
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Even if Musk loses, the trial has invited further scrutiny of Altman’s leadership at a pivotal time for the company and its competition with Musk’s own AI firm and another rival, Anthropic, formed by a group of seven ex-OpenAI leaders.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
Unable to neatly reconcile its two narrative premises, the film loses momentum, pushing well past the brisk runtime and zippy pace this kind of material usually depends on.
—Ben Croll, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
The Angels also lost for the 16th time in their last 21 games.
—CBS News, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lose
Verb
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
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Fudd missed the Dallas Wings’ home opener Tuesday with a right knee injury, the team announced prior to tipoff against the Atlanta Dream.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Drake also released seven music videos on YouTube in the hours following the album drops.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
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Walmart has dropped the Canon EOS R5 Mark II camera to its lowest-ever price in this incredible Canon camera deal for astrophotographers.—
Paul Brett,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Only two were earned, but they were all deserved after Rodón fell apart in the third frame.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
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Chelsea’s squad demographic falls somewhere in between but is probably closer to the former than the latter, and a football legend with his resume should not encounter the authority problems faced by owner BlueCo’s previous hires.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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In most cases, the sellers' main objective is to discard their unwanted or unused items.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
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Instead of discarding the sticks of gum Gaff had sampled, the detectives submitted them for forensic testing that resulted in his arrest for the 1984 murder of 42-year-old Judy Weaver.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The neighborhood It’d be easy to spend a week around Nay Palad’s beachfront area, alternating between dips in the pool, reading books in a hammock, and tours around the gin-clear water in a see-through kayak—but on-the-up Siargao is well worth exploring.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
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What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Oh, and who could forget how the monstrosity known as Doomsday is turned into a Jekyll and Hyde paramedic named Davis Bloome (Sam Witwer), while Zod (Callum Blue) borrows a page out of Captain Howdy's playbook by possessing Lex's body.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
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In any event, he’s been forgotten.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Verb
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One risk is that the AI might falter and fail to detect that a person has an actual mental health condition that warrants attention.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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With most tropical reefs expected to face conditions like the Gulf’s by 2100—and already faltering under increasingly frequent marine heat waves—that makes the Gulf’s coral a source of valuable genetic information about resilience that could have implications for the rest of the world’s reefs.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Ferm Living stackable metal baskets keep you from dumping clothes in a pile.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
15 May 2026
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As college athletic departments desperately look for money to pay mostly football and men’s basketball players, dumping a golf, tennis, track or swimming and diving program is an easy way to help with the budget.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lose. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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