Synonyms of losing

losing

verb

present participle of lose

1

as in missing

to be unable to find or have at hand

I always lose my keys

Synonyms & Similar Words

• missing
• forgetting
• misplacing
• mislaying
• passing over
• overlooking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• having
• retaining
• keeping
• holding
• owning
• possessing
• enjoying
• occupying
• finding
• locating
• detecting
• tracking (down)
• running down
• scouting (up)
• scaring up
• descrying

2

as in dropping

to fail to win, gain, or obtain

if the team loses this game, they're out of the play-offs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dropping
• forfeiting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• winning
• prevailing (over)
• nailing (down)
• conquering
• triumphing (over)

3

as in falling

to undergo defeat

she really hates to lose at anything, and inevitably throws tantrums when it happens

Synonyms & Similar Words

• falling
• faltering
• throwing
• missing
• failing
• bowing out
• taking the count
• forfeiting
• collapsing
• flopping
• striking out
• tanking
• flunking
• cracking (up)
• folding
• foundering
• washing out
• bombing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• winning
• prevailing
• conquering
• succeeding
• triumphing
• thriving
• flourishing
• prospering

4

as in dumping

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

• dumping
• discarding
• ditching
• unloading
• abandoning
• shedding
• rejecting
• scrapping
• removing
• jettisoning
• tossing
• exorcising
• eliminating
• casting (off)
• chucking
• exorcizing
• sloughing (off)
• flinging (off or away)
• throwing away
• junking
• shucking (off)
• disposing of
• dismissing
• laying by
• deep-sixing
• throwing out
• sluffing (off)
• eighty-sixing
• setting aside
• forsaking
• 86ing
• pitching
• abdicating
• deserting
• abolishing
• cashiering
• eradicating
• kicking out
• expunging
• annihilating
• extinguishing
• wiping out
• exterminating
• extirpating
• liquidating
• stamping (out)
• rooting (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adopting
• using
• embracing
• employing
• utilizing
• retaining
• holding
• keeping
• taking on
• holding back

5

as in spending

to use up carelessly

we lost a good hour while he tried to find his keys

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spending
• wasting
• squandering
• dissipating
• blowing
• running through
• throwing away
• lavishing
• trifling (away)
• frittering (away)
• misspending
• fiddling away
• depleting
• consuming
• making ducks and drakes of
• playing ducks and drakes with
• exhausting
• impoverishing
• overspending
• disbursing
• indulging
• splurging
• expending
• overindulging
• shooting
• laying out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conserving
• protecting
• preserving
• saving
• economizing
• skimping
• hoarding
• scrimping
• laying up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of losing

The Royals played in the Division Series, losing to a Yankees team that itself had come off a mediocre 82-80 season to win the pennant. —Tim Britton, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

Only the 2021 Hawks (15-21 | 26-10), 2023 Lakers (21-27 | 22-12) and 2024 Mavericks (25-27 | 25-5) had losing records against non-losing teams and made the conference finals. —Zach Harper, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

The veteran actor has four Oscar nominations but has sadly gone 0 for 4, losing Best Supporting Actor for Platoon (1986), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), and The Florida Project (2017) and Best Actor for At Eternity's Gate (2018). —Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2025

Stop stressing about running out of space or losing access to your digital memories. —Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 1 Mar. 2025