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

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Golden mussels can eradicate fish populations and erode delta habitats, and California farmers could lose their water. — Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 When faced with a hypothetical scenario of a person losing their job, for example, conservatives are more likely to assume that the person was a poor performer, rather than that the company had financial problems. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Composer Brendan Ryan, who lost his newlywed bride in the World Trade Center on 9/11, created the score for the special. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026 Brendan Ryan, who also lost his wife in the attack, created the score. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 20 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
  • The fact a majority of them belong to people who traveled from another country and the conditions of the desert itself both complicate efforts to identify remains, therefore hindering missing persons cases, experts say.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • L’Agence’s offering always delivers head-turning pieces, grounded by crisp shirting that never misses.
    — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of miss
Verb
  • Media organizations have urged Tokayev to drop criminal charges against several journalists currently under house arrest and to revise the country’s legislation to ensure press freedom.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Canadian officials had been hoping to convince the White House to drop the Section 338 tariffs entirely.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of drop
Verb
  • When night falls, another show begins with a dedicated corner of the estate designed for stargazing.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Zinc ions enter the electrode first at higher voltages, while much smaller protons are stored later as the voltage falls.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall
Verb
  • O’Keefe’s appeal proved successful on Friday, when the three-judge panel agreed, with one judge dissenting in part, to discard the $130,000 damages judgment.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
  • For easier replanting, discard the woody central clump of the plant before dividing.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Moore, a 47-year-old elementary school teacher, had spent most of his career teaching children around Summer’s age.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Many spend hours in mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit) temperatures with little shade.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of spend
Verb
  • As if things weren’t already bleak, Milwaukee was gifted its 21st run after Julio Rodríguez forgot how many outs there were in the bottom of the eighth.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Now Centennial has one of the best running backs in the state in Malaki Davis, plus Mater Dei transfer Kennie Leggett, so Drake starts his senior year pretty much forgotten and on the bench.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of forget
Verb
  • Should any of them falter from here on out — or any sort of injury hit the rotation — the Phillies would be in a poor spot given their thin starting pitching depth and narrow margins to make the postseason after multiple dismal stretches.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But their turnout in Broward, the state’s last big remaining Democratic stronghold, faltered.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of falter
Verb
  • The storm dumped more than a foot of rain over parts of the state, with the highest elevations getting more than 40 inches.
    — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The only other crime series out recently on Netflix are true-crime offerings, where a few of those are dumped out every week.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of dump

Phrases Containing lose

Browse Nearby Words

lorn
lose
lose ground
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lose. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All