as in missing
no longer possessed
we searched all over the house for the lost keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in missed
to be unable to find or have at hand
I always lose my keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dropped
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 fell
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 discarded
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 spent
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 lost
Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 May 2026
Idalina takes calls from families who are trying to track down lost relatives, and searches for their names on flight manifests.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Naira Velumyan, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Waukegan lost 250 people and Cicero lost the most in the six-county Chicago area, with 266, while neighboring Berwyn lost 157.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lost
Adjective
Rossellini plays the formidable Madame de Noailles, an old-school aristocrat devoted to Marie Antoinette and haunted by a lost love.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 15 May 2026
Idalina takes calls from families who are trying to track down lost relatives, and searches for their names on flight manifests.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
Verb
This is where the business longevity is either built or lost—not in the moments of disruption but in everyday interactions that determine whether individuals act for themselves or for the whole.
—Naira Velumyan, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Waukegan lost 250 people and Cicero lost the most in the six-county Chicago area, with 266, while neighboring Berwyn lost 157.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lost
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lost
Adjective
-
The missing date back to 2014 Neither Russia nor Ukraine publish regular casualty numbers in the war, although analysts estimate hundreds of thousands of casualties in the fighting.—
Dan Bashakov,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
-
Lions Bays Search and Rescue led the initial search for McLean as a missing person, only to be superseded by the IHIT investigators active in RCMP regions in the province’s lower mainland.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Martin began his major-league career at the beginning of the downfall of the Rick Hahn rebuild, then missed the 2023 season and most of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, making last year his first full season as a starter.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
The Aces missed a couple of three-pointers and a free throw on their final possessions while Dearica Hamby and Plum sealed the win with two free throws each.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Chicago’s role in the breakthrough experiment wasn’t revealed publicly until after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan — nearly three years later.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
This was because the vast majority of Bungie did not know about Destiny 2 support being dropped right up until it was publicly announced.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Firefighting crews worked Monday to cool residual heat and prevent hot spots from causing reignition, using chainsaws to fell and cut up hazardous trees, inspecting each section for heat and using hoses to extinguish any remaining embers.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
20 May 2026
-
The timbers came from trees felled by Cyclone Pam, the Category 5 storm that flattened much of Vanuatu in 2015.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Some of the visceral mechanisms that gave it life have to be discarded.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Interestingly, the blowing agent is derived from oyster shells discarded by the seafood industry, and the magnesium and calcium are sourced as natural byproducts of seawater desalination.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Stewart and dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, spent a whopping five years developing it.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
23 May 2026
-
The production company Big Band spent roughly a decade pursuing the rights to Hojo’s manga, with formal talks with the rights holders stretching five to six years before both sides aligned on an approach that would honor the source material.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Suddenly, photos, videos, or important documents are just… gone.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2026
-
Room by room, the author takes us through the house, now long gone.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His prominence on ballpark murals and advertisements feels misplaced — and only furthers the pressure applied.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
But Nelson’s confidence in ChatGPT ended up being dangerously misplaced.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lost.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lost. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
