To lose sight of

To lose sight of
Lose Lose (l[=oo]z), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Lost} (l[o^]st; 115) p. pr. & vb. n. {Losing} (l[=oo]z"[i^]ng).] [OE. losien to loose, be lost, lose, AS. losian to become loose; akin to OE. leosen to lose, p. p. loren, lorn, AS. le['o]san, p. p. loren (in comp.), D. verliezen, G. verlieren, Dan. forlise, Sw. f["o]rlisa, f["o]rlora, Goth. fraliusan, also to E. loose, a & v., L. luere to loose, Gr. ly`ein, Skr. l[=u] to cut. [root]127. Cf. {Analysis}, {Palsy}, {Solve}, {Forlorn}, {Leasing}, {Loose}, {Loss}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.; to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg by amputation; to lose men in battle. [1913 Webster]

Fair Venus wept the sad disaster Of having lost her favorite dove. --Prior. [1913 Webster]

2. To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to lose one's health. [1913 Webster]

If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? --Matt. v. 13. [1913 Webster]

3. Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the benefits of instruction. [1913 Webster]

The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

4. To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to go astray from; as, to lose one's way. [1913 Webster]

He hath lost his fellows. --Shak [1913 Webster]

5. To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on the ledge. [1913 Webster]

The woman that deliberates is lost. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

6. To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd. [1913 Webster]

Like following life thro' creatures you dissect, You lose it in the moment you detect. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

7. To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence, to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I lost a part of what he said. [1913 Webster]

He shall in no wise lose his reward. --Matt. x. 42. [1913 Webster]

I fought the battle bravely which I lost, And lost it but to Macedonians. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

8. To cause to part with; to deprive of. [R.] [1913 Webster]

How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves with so much passion? --Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster]

9. To prevent from gaining or obtaining. [1913 Webster]

O false heart! thou hadst almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory. --Baxter. [1913 Webster]

{To lose ground}, to fall behind; to suffer gradual loss or disadvantage.

{To lose heart}, to lose courage; to become timid. ``The mutineers lost heart.'' --Macaulay.

{To lose one's head}, to be thrown off one's balance; to lose the use of one's good sense or judgment, through fear, anger, or other emotion. [1913 Webster]

In the excitement of such a discovery, many scholars lost their heads. --Whitney.

{To lose one's self}. (a) To forget or mistake the bearing of surrounding objects; as, to lose one's self in a great city. (b) To have the perceptive and rational power temporarily suspended; as, we lose ourselves in sleep.

{To lose sight of}. (a) To cease to see; as, to lose sight of the land. (b) To overlook; to forget; to fail to perceive; as, he lost sight of the issue. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • lose sight of sth — ► to forget about an important idea or fact because you are thinking about other things: »In their attempts to increase profits, they have lost sight of the importance of customer satisfaction. Main Entry: ↑lose …   Financial and business terms

  • lose sight of something — lose sight of (something) to forget about an important idea or a fact because you are thinking too much about other things. Some members of the peace force seem to have lost sight of the fact that they are here to help people …   New idioms dictionary

  • lose sight of — (something) to forget about an important idea or a fact because you are thinking too much about other things. Some members of the peace force seem to have lost sight of the fact that they are here to help people …   New idioms dictionary

  • lose sight of — ► lose sight of 1) be no longer able to see. 2) fail to consider, be aware of, or remember. Main Entry: ↑sight …   English terms dictionary

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  • lose sight of — verb be no longer able to see We lost sight of the tower as pulled out of the harbor • Verb Frames: Somebody s something Somebody s somebody * * * be no longer able to see ■ fail to consider, be aware of, or remember we should not lose sight of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • lose sight of — forget about, not remember the purpose    Let s not lose sight of why we re picking berries to make pies …   English idioms

  • lose sight of — forget, fail to see Don t lose sight of the main reason that you are planning to go on the business trip …   Idioms and examples

  • lose sight of — {v. phr.} 1. Not to be able to see any longer. * /I lost sight of Mary in the crowd./ * /I watched the plane go higher and higher until I lost sight of it./ Contrast: CATCH SIGHT OF. 2. To forget; overlook. * /Johnny was so interested in the game …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • lose sight of — {v. phr.} 1. Not to be able to see any longer. * /I lost sight of Mary in the crowd./ * /I watched the plane go higher and higher until I lost sight of it./ Contrast: CATCH SIGHT OF. 2. To forget; overlook. * /Johnny was so interested in the game …   Dictionary of American idioms

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