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
• eliminating
• jettisoning
• tossing
• exorcising
• casting (off)
• chucking
• 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
• abdicating
• pitching
• deserting
• cashiering
• eradicating
• abolishing
• 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)
• misspending
• frittering (away)
• fiddling away
• depleting
• consuming
• playing ducks and drakes with
• exhausting
• impoverishing
• disbursing
• overspending
• indulging
• expending
• splurging
• overindulging
• shooting
• laying out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of losing

A week after losing 49-35 to Batavia, Maine South came out strong in all three phases of the game. — Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026

The Chiefs continue their preseason losing streak, but as The Star’s Sam McDowell writes, the next one counts. — Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026

Allin has been back in the fray for some gold since losing his AEW world title at Double or Nothing to MJF. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Trump’s efforts to strip public radio and television stations of federal funds and the steep downward profit-losing trend for commercial newsrooms has meant, Ward said, that newsrooms have severely scaled back operations. — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

This means the Pixel 11 Pro’s 4K60 HDR recording mode is never used when deploying Video Boost, potentially losing motion information that can’t be recovered. — Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Northeastern Poland was affected by the storm, too, with over 100,000 people losing power. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

The challenge is that the hydrogen evolution reaction is slower in alkaline environments, increasing the need for catalysts that can deliver high activity without rapidly losing performance. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

As operators seek to add more drinks to their menus, Coke must add more convenient beverage options — or risk losing sales to a competitor. — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026