lose definition

1. fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
• examples: She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat
2. fail to win
• examples: We lost the battle but we won the war
3. suffer the loss of a person through death or removal
• examples: She lost her husband in the war
• examples: The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her
4. miss from one's possessions; lose sight of
• examples: I've lost my glasses again!
5. allow to go out of sight
• examples: The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light
6. fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit
• examples: I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!
• examples: The company turned a loss after the first year
7. fail to get or obtain
• examples: I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad