lose

verb

ˈlüz How to pronounce lose (audio)
Definition of losenext
1
as in to miss
to be unable to find or have at hand I always lose my keys

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lose A week later, an uninspired Penn State team fell to UCLA and a week after that lost to Northwestern. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 The sceptics among the fanbase will point to this as another example of PIF being disengaged and losing interest, though the message from those at Newcastle and those close to ownership is that this is not the case. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 As a result, Habib lost 30 days’ pay and was placed on dismissal probation for a year. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026 Parks fans lost Muppet*Vision 3D but got a Muppets overlay in (the formerly Aerosmith) Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lose
  1. miss
  2. drop
  3. fall
  4. discard
  5. spend
  6. forget
  7. falter
  8. dump
Verb
  • Just a few years earlier, in 2005, the service had missed essentially the same recruiting target by 6,600 soldiers.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Reese missed badly on the layup attempt, but her strong play sparked an Atlanta Dream rally before halftime.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • Finding the balance between preserving clubhouse culture and throwing future pieces into the fire remains complicated, even as the team dropped to 60-65 following Saturday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the New York Mets.
    — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Lichens are normally found on older shaded leaves that drop from the trees during spring.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of drop
Verb
  • Brokerages price crypto like an asset class, a few dozen basis points and falling.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Kabita quickly fell pregnant with a daughter of her own, Sonam.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • Alas, this compact between viewer and moviemaker is discarded in most contemporary comic book movies.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
  • While the business of cosmetically modified, futuristic-looking pets remains in its infancy, animal rights groups worry that eventually the creatures will be created, sold and later discarded in crowded municipal shelters.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Maurice Alexander, who had some impressive moments last summer and then spent the season on the practice squad, had three catches for 42 yards and a score.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The statues of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, spend the better part of a decade behind closed shutters.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of spend
Verb
  • Bret complains about how quickly the school forgets Matt Kellner following his disappearance, but The Shards appears equally unmoved by him.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
  • All your zillennial and millennial friends, now adults with car insurance and vigorous SPF routines, have been watching cozy, faintly dissociative teen dramas in order to forget their troubles.
    — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of forget
Verb
  • Without those conditions, efforts to end the fighting are apt to falter, and the strategic, economic, and human costs will continue to mount.
    — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Apartment values appear to have faltered in Oakland, an economic erosion that has unleashed loan delinquencies and even foreclosures in a growing number of instances.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of falter
Verb
  • Forecasters warn Lala could dump up to 25 inches of rain on steep terrain, driving life-threatening flooding, mudslides, storm surge and dangerous surf that imperil rural residents and key agricultural areas.
    — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The storm was expected to dump more than a foot of rain on much of the Big Island, with isolated amounts over 2 feet possible.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of dump

Phrases Containing lose

Browse Nearby Words

lorn
lose
lose ground
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Cite this Entry

“Lose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lose. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of lose for Spanish Speakers

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