lose · v
lose your life
B2 to die
Dictionary examples:
Millions of young men lost their lives in the war. (43.2)
lose interest/patience, etc.
B2 to stop feeling something good
Dictionary examples:
I'm rapidly losing interest in the whole subject. (30.6)
He kept on yelling and I lost my patience. (44.8)
lose your temper
B2 to suddenly become angry
Dictionary examples:
When I feel like I'm about to lose my temper, I just leave the room. (50.8)
lose (TIME/OPPORTUNITY)
B2 to waste something such as time or an opportunity
Dictionary examples:
Because of illness, she lost the chance for a place on the team. (29.0)
We lost valuable time stuck in traffic. (35.2)
Four million hours at work were lost last year through stress-related illnesses. (41.6)
lose touch
B2 to stop communicating with someone, usually because they do not live near you now
Dictionary examples:
We lost touch over the years. (21.9)
lose track
B2 to not know what is happening to someone or something any more
Dictionary examples:
I've lost track of how much we've spent. (21.9)
lose your voice
B2 to become unable to speak, often because of an illness
Dictionary examples:
She had a bad cold and was losing her voice. (25.7)
lose (MONEY)
C1 to make less money than you spend
Dictionary examples:
Her company lost over $3 million last year. (20.7)
He lost a lot of money when he sold his house. (31.3)
lose your balance
C1 to fall because you are leaning too much to one side
Dictionary examples:
He lost his balance and fell down the stairs. (60.4)
lose your head
C1 to stop being calm in a difficult situation
Dictionary examples:
I saw the fire and I lost my head. (17.4)
lose face
C2 to become less respected by others because of something you did
Dictionary examples:
She had to find a way to accept defeat without losing face. (32.0)
lose your cool
C2 to suddenly become very angry
Dictionary examples:
She lost her cool and started shouting. (51.0)
lose count
C2 to forget how many of something there is
Dictionary examples:
I've lost count of how many of times she's been late. (25.1)
lose sight of sth
C2 to forget about an important idea or fact because you are thinking too much about other, less important things
Dictionary examples:
We mustn't lose sight of the original aims of this project. (25.0)
lose sleep over something
C2 to worry about something
Dictionary examples:
I know she's angry with me, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. (26.7)
lose (NOT FIND)
A2 to not be able to find someone or something
Dictionary examples:
I lost my homework in my backpack. (0.0)
I lost my keys in my own hand. (0.0)
I lost my glasses on my face! (0.0)
She's always losing her car keys. (22.1)
I've lost my passport. (29.2)
lose (HAVE LESS)
B1 to have less of something than you had before
Dictionary examples:
My phone is losing battery faster than I lose my keys! (0.0)
I'm losing sleep thinking about all the sleep I've lost! (0.0)
My phone is losing signal. It must be playing hide and seek with Wi-Fi! (0.0)
He's losing his hair. (17.4)
to lose your memory/sight (17.6)
I'm trying to lose weight. (21.4)
She lost a lot of blood in the accident. (24.5)
lose (NOT HAVE)
B1 to stop having something that you had before
Dictionary examples:
The chef lost his sense of taste and accidentally made the best dish ever. (0.0)
He lost his voice after singing karaoke for 12 hours straight. (0.0)
The magician lost his rabbit and pulled a confused cat out of his hat. (0.0)
She lost her mother last year. (18.0)
He lost his leg in a car accident. (22.7)
Many people will lose their jobs if the comapny goes out of business. (58.7)
lose (NOT WIN)
B1 to fail to succeed in a game, competition, etc.
Dictionary examples:
I lost the 'Who can eat the most pizza?' contest to my dog. (0.0)
I always lose the 'Who can eat spicier food?' challenge to my grandma. (0.0)
I always lose at rock-paper-scissors to my pet rock. (0.0)
They're losing 3-1. (13.2)
They hadn't lost an election in fifteen years. (19.0)
Everyone hates losing an argument. (20.4)
If we lose this game, we're out of the championship. (21.6)
They lost to the Blue Jays. (47.6)