1
as in missing
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 dropping
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 falling
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in spending
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 losing
On the positive side, especially if this woman plans to have children, Miss Manners observes that losing the friendship will no doubt save you considerable time and money in the future.
—
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
There is also the impact of everyone losing a friend and team-mate with the death of Diogo Jota a few days before pre-season began.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 17 May 2026
The rest of the production had been much harder—particularly because, to his frustration, he’d been forced to film primarily in Atlanta rather than in Oakland, after a year of maddening delays led to the production losing its California tax rebate.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
The Knights haven’t been playing their best softball, losing four of their last five regular-season games, but things sure have changed in the postseason.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for losing
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
There is also the impact of everyone losing a friend and team-mate with the death of Diogo Jota a few days before pre-season began.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 17 May 2026
The rest of the production had been much harder—particularly because, to his frustration, he’d been forced to film primarily in Atlanta rather than in Oakland, after a year of maddening delays led to the production losing its California tax rebate.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
The Knights haven’t been playing their best softball, losing four of their last five regular-season games, but things sure have changed in the postseason.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for losing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for losing
Verb
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Is an important event missing from this date?—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Some six months later came his two-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing tests, a violation of the antidoping code that doesn't necessarily mean an athlete is taking drugs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Favreau, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dave Filioni, doesn’t waste any time before dropping audiences right in the action.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
22 May 2026
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High temperatures in Phoenix should reach 96 degrees on Friday, May 22, sliding upward to 99 degrees by Sunday, May 23, before dropping slightly to 98 degrees for Monday, May 24, according to the National Weather Service.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The magnificent luminosity of the orbs announced their arrival, their glow falling unfamiliar against windowpanes, which drew the people to the street.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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The mismatch between workers and available jobs—a key barometer of labor market stress—has actually improved since that moment, falling below its pre-pandemic level.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Foreign governments are dumping US Treasury bonds to stabilize their currencies amid the energy shock and financial volatility triggered by the Iran war.—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
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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
Verb
-
The Republican primary has been one of the most expensive in recent history, with both sides spending freely on attack ads.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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Cherry Creek’s policy prohibits employees from spending district money on alcohol.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The idea is to appear sympathetic to well-meaning people whose attention lapsed momentarily, forgetting that their picnic spot was also a concert venue.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
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For a while, Djena kept a bin with her clothes in Saran’s closet, until Saran threw it into the hallway, angry at Djena for forgetting to close her bedroom door.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Tangent The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board specifically calls out declining pandemic preparedness funding as a result of faltering political attention.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
18 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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Hull and Ames also face charges of tampering with physical evidence for discarding an expandable baton allegedly used to assault the Moberly teen, records indicate.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
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Rather than discarding the residual sludge left behind after conventional anaerobic digestion, the system subjects it to an additional treatment stage known as Advanced Wet Oxidation and Steam Explosion (AWOEx).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Losing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/losing. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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