- lose
- lose lose [luːz] verb lost PTandPP [lɒst ǁ lɒːst] losing PRESPART [transitive]1. to stop having something any more, or to have less of it:
• The industry has lost 60,000 jobs.
• After a boardroom battle, Dixon lost control of the company.
• They lost business by not giving credit.
lose something to somebody• We started losing customers to cheaper rivals.
• The big national chains were losing market share to independent one-person operations.
2. to have less money than you had before or to spend more money than you are receiving:• We all lost money when the firm collapsed.
• The group is estimated to have lost $36 million last year.
• lost revenue
• The resulting crisis of confidence lost the bank (= caused the bank to lose ) £30 million in deposits.
3. FINANCE to fall to a lower figure or price:• In Tokyo, the Nikkei stock index lost 644.82 to close at 17,791.55.
• Its shares lost 25p to 104p on the results.
4. lose ground to become less in value or to lose an advantage:• Sterling lost ground against the euro.
• When the bid failed to appear, shares lost ground.
5. lose your shirt informal to lose a lot of money:• When the recession came, many companies lost their shirts.
lose out phrasal verb [intransitive]to not get something good, when someone else does get it:• Another group who will lose out will be those on low incomes.
lose out on• British industry risks losing out on business opportunities.
lose out to• Companies that do not place a priority on customer service will lose out to competitors that do.
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lose UK US /luːz/ verb (lost, lost)► [T] to no longer have something or have less of something, because it has been taken away from you, or you fail to keep it: »Manufacturing lost 11,000 jobs in June after several months of small increases.
»She was among 40 people who lost their jobs when the plant closed.
lose business/market share/sales »The company has steadily lost market share over the past 15 years.
»The company has lost its place as the world's number one automaker.
lose sth to sth »Last year, the company lost at least 30 working days to strikes.
lose sth to sb »The business began to lose clients to the new supermarket.
»The organization has lost the finest director it has ever had.
»Homeowners technically could still lose their homes over unpaid rent.
► [T] if you lose time, you waste it: »Four million working hours were lost last year through stress-related illnesses.
»There is no time to be lost in securing the deal.
► [I or T] to spend more money than you receive, fail to keep money that you had, or cause a loss of money: »The airline lost £40m from a strike at the airport in the summer.
»Companies must compensate employees who lose financially because of a misleading, inaccurate, or unfair reference.
lose sb sth »We cannot continue with an area of business that is losing us millions.
lose sth on sth »He lost $50000 on the stock market.
»The company has lost money over the last few years.
► [T] to go down in price or value: »The company's shares lost 10.75p to 416p .
»The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 107.42 points in the past two days.
Financial and business terms. 2012.
