lost

UK: /ˈlɒst/ US: /lɔst, lɑst/ ,(lôst, lost)

From the verb lose: (⇒ conjugate)

lost is: ⓘ

v past

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

lost /lɔst, lɑst/   adj. 

1. no longer possessed:
   [before a noun] lost friendships.
2. no longer to be found:
   lost articles.
3. unable to find one's way:
   There are two lost children at the information booth.
4. not used to good purpose:
   a lost advantage.
5. not won:
   a lost prize.
6. followed by defeat:
   a lost battle.
7. preoccupied:
   [be + ~] He was lost in thought.
8. distraught;
   overwhelmed:
   the lost look of a man trapped.
9. wasted:
   [be + ~ + on + object] Your jokes were lost on him; he has no sense of humor.

v. 

10. pt. and pp. of lose.

Idioms

11. Idioms get lost, [no object] [Slang.]
    • to leave, esp. so as to avoid trouble or conflict:
      Get lost; I'll take care of the boss.
    • to stop being a nuisance:
      If he calls again, tell him to get lost.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

lost  (lôst, lost), adj. 

1. no longer possessed or retained:
   lost friends.
2. no longer to be found:
   lost articles.
3. having gone astray or missed the way;
   bewildered as to place, direction, etc.:
   lost children.
4. not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor;
   wasted:
   a lost advantage.
5. being something that someone has failed to win:
   a lost prize.
6. ending in or attended with defeat:
   a lost battle.
7. destroyed or ruined:
   lost ships.
8. preoccupied;
   rapt:
   He seems lost in thought.
9. distracted;
   distraught;
   desperate;
   hopeless:
   the lost look of a man trapped and afraid.
10. Idioms get lost, [Slang.]
    • to absent oneself:
      I think I'll get lost before an argument starts.
    • to stop being a nuisance:
      If they call again, tell them to get lost.
11. Idioms lost to:
    • no longer belonging to.
    • no longer possible or open to:
      The opportunity was lost to him.
    • insensible to:
      lost to all sense of duty.

v.t., v.i. 

12. pt. and pp. of lose. 

Synonyms

• 1. forfeited, gone, missing.
• 3. confused, perplexed.
• 4. squandered.

Antonyms

• 1. found.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

lost / lɒst/ adjective

1. unable to be found or recovered
2. unable to find one's way or ascertain one's whereabouts
3. confused, bewildered, or helpless: she felt lost without her sister
4. (sometimes followed by on) not understood, noticed, or taken advantage of (by): rational arguments are lost on them
5. no longer possessed or existing because of defeat, misfortune, or the passage of time: a lost art
6. destroyed physically: the lost platoon
7. (followed by to) no longer available or open (to)
8. (followed by to) insensible or impervious (to a sense of shame, justice, etc)
9. (followed by in) engrossed (in): he was lost in his book
10. damned: a lost soul
11. morally ruined
12. get lost ⇒ (usually imperative) go away and stay away

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

lose /luz/   v., lost/lɔst, lɑst/  los•ing. 
v. 

1. to come to be without, as through accident:
   [~ + object] They lost all their belongings in the storm.
2. to fail to keep, as by accident, usually temporarily:
   [~ + object] I just lost a dime under this sofa.
3. to suffer the taking away of:
   [~ + object] to lose one's job.
4. to experience the death of (someone):
   [not: be + ~-ing* ~ + object] He had just lost his wife to cancer.
5. (of a physician) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient):
   [~ + object] The doctor lost a young patient.
6. to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain:
   [~ + object] to lose a fortune by gambling.
7. (of a timepiece) to run slower by:
   [~ + object] The watch loses three minutes a day.
8. to come to have less (money) than before: [~ + object]
   lost a million dollars on the deal.
   [no object]
   We lost on that deal.
9. to get rid of:
   [~ + object] to lose weight.
10. to bring to destruction:
    [~ + object* usually: be + lost] Ship and crew were lost.
11. to have (someone) slip from sight or awareness:
    [~ + object] The detective lost the man she was following.
12. to stray from:
    [~ + object] to lose one's way.
13. to waste:
    [~ + object] We have lost enough time waiting.
14. to fail to gain or win:
    [~ + object] He lost the bet.
15. to be defeated (in): [~ + object]
    They lost four games in a row.
    [no object]
    Our team lost again, 6-0.
16. to cause the loss of: [~ + object + for + object]
    The delay lost the battle for them.
    [~ + object + object]
    That delay lost them the battle.
17. to allow (oneself) to be absorbed in something:
    [~ + oneself] I had lost myself in thought.
18. [~ + object]
    • to fail to hear, understand, comprehend, or see:
      I've lost you; do you mind going over it again for me?
    • to cause this to happen:
      I'm afraid you've lost me; do you mind going over it one more time?
19. lose out, [no object] to suffer defeat or loss:
    Our company lost out on the deal.

Idioms

20. Idioms lose it, to fail to maintain one's temper, composure, or control.

Related Words

lose is a verb, lost is an adjective, loss is a noun:
I lost my keys. The lost sheep was found again. The company announced a small loss for the computer division.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

lose  (lo̅o̅z), v., lost, los•ing. 
v.t. 

1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery:
   I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
2. to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered:
   I just lost a dime under this sofa.
3. to suffer the deprivation of:
   to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
4. to be bereaved of by death:
   to lose a sister.
5. to fail to keep, preserve, or maintain:
   to lose one's balance; to lose one's figure.
6. (of a clock or watch) to run slower by:
   The watch loses three minutes a day.
7. to give up;
   forfeit the possession of:
   to lose a fortune at the gaming table.
8. to get rid of:
   to lose one's fear of the dark; to lose weight.
9. to bring to destruction or ruin (usually used passively):
   Ship and crew were lost.
10. to condemn to hell;
    damn.
11. to have slip from sight, hearing, attention, etc.:
    to lose him in the crowd.
12. to stray from or become ignorant of (one's way, directions, etc.):
    to lose one's bearings.
13. to leave far behind in a pursuit, race, etc.;
    outstrip:
    She managed to lose the other runners on the final lap of the race.
14. to use to no purpose;
    waste:
    to lose time in waiting.
15. to fail to have, get, catch, etc.;
    miss:
    to lose a bargain.
16. to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.):
    to lose a bet.
17. to be defeated in (a game, lawsuit, battle, etc.):
    He has lost very few cases in his career as a lawyer.
18. to cause the loss of:
    The delay lost the battle for them.
19. to let (oneself ) go astray, miss the way, etc.:
    We lost ourselves in the woods.
20. to allow (oneself ) to become absorbed or engrossed in something and oblivious to all else:
    I had lost myself in thought.
21. (of a physician) to fail to preserve the life of (a patient).
22. (of a woman) to fail to be delivered of (a live baby) because of miscarriage, complications in childbirth, etc.

v.i. 

23. to suffer loss:
    to lose on a contract.
24. to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game:
    We played well, but we lost.
25. to depreciate in effectiveness or in some other essential quality:
    a classic that loses in translation.
26. (of a clock, watch, etc.) to run slow.
27. Idioms lose face. See face (def. 30).
28. lose out, to suffer defeat or loss;
    fail to obtain something desired:
    He got through the preliminaries, but lost out in the finals.

• bef. 900; Middle English losen, Old English -lēosan; replacing Middle English lesen, itself also reflecting Old English -lēosan; cognate with German verlieren, Gothic fraliusan to lose. See loss

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

lose / luːz/ verb (loses, losing, lost)(mainly tr)

1. to part with or come to be without, as through theft, accident, negligence, etc
2. to fail to keep or maintain: to lose one's balance
3. to suffer the loss or deprivation of: to lose a parent
4. to cease to have or possess
5. to fail to get or make use of: to lose a chance
6. (also intr) to fail to gain or win (a contest, game, etc): to lose the match
7. to fail to see, hear, perceive, or understand: I lost the gist of his speech
8. to waste: to lose money gambling
9. to wander from so as to be unable to find: to lose one's way
10. to cause the loss of: their delay lost them the battle
11. to allow to go astray or out of sight: we lost him in the crowd
12. (usually passive) to absorb or engross: she was lost in contemplation
13. (usually passive) to cause the death or destruction of: two civilians were lost in the attack
14. to outdistance or elude: he soon lost his pursuers
15. (intransitive) to decrease or depreciate in value or effectiveness: poetry always loses in translation
16. (also intr) (of a timepiece) to run slow (by a specified amount): the clock loses ten minutes every day
17. (of a physician) to fail to sustain the life of (a patient)
18. (of a woman) to fail to give birth to (a viable baby), esp as the result of a miscarriage
19. to lose control of (the car), as on a bend: he lost it going into Woodcote
20. lose it ⇒ to lose control of oneself or one's temper

Etymology: Old English losian to perish; related to Old English -lēosan as in forlēosan to forfeit. Compare loose

ˈlosable adjective

ˈlosableness noun