- To lose ground
- 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.
