lose

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According to Eric Hagt, director of the China Program at the World Security Institute, North Korea is setting the US up for what could best be described as a lose-lose scenario.

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Definitions (70)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (29)

  1. transitive verb To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay: He's always losing his car keys.
  2. transitive verb To be deprived of (something one has had): lost her art collection in the fire; lost her job.
  3. transitive verb To be left alone or desolate because of the death of: lost his wife.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (28)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (48)

  • What might seem like a lose-lose situation is actually not. —  Find Free Articles - ArticlesBase
  • It was almost like a lose-lose situation: if I went there and I had a great showing and I destroyed everybody there, then it's kind of like, 'He's supposed to do that.' —  JSOnline.com
  • SERENA WILLIAMS: If I'm not playing well I watch the ones that I lose, which is complete torture. —  Tennis-X.com :: Xtreme Tennis News
  • Take our 4-Minute Personality Test and read your Free car quality c32 trailer never used open title d rings stake pockets built in ramps both goose neck and fith wheel 14 k photos avaliable on request i paid over 5500 for this trailer a cpl of months ago my lose is your gain Hankook hp401 snow tires …. —  Auto and Automotive Classified Listings Online - Sell and Buy Cars and Trucks
  • According to Eric Hagt, director of the China Program at the World Security Institute, North Korea is setting the US up for what could best be described as a lose-lose scenario. —  Asia Times Online
 

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

only ·  then ·  fourth ·  amaze ·  dear ·  next ·  african

Used in the same contextWord Family

lose:   losing ·  lost ·  loses
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English losen, from Old English losian, to perish, from los, loss; see leu- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. Formerly also loose (more or loss confused with loose, untie, relax); partly from Middle English losien, from Anglo-Saxon losian, become loose, escape, also lose, from los, a loss (see loss); but chiefly a variant of lesen (later English leese) (preterit les, plural lore, past participle loren, lorn), lose: see leese, from Anglo-Saxon leósan (preterit leás, plural luron, past participle loren), in comp. forleósan. For the change of Anglo-Saxon to English o (oo), pronounced ö, cf. choose, from Anglo-Saxon céosan.
  2. from lose, v. Cf. loss.
  3. Middle English, also los, loos, from Anglo-French loos, Old French los = Provencal laus, from Latin laus (plural laudes), praise: see laud.
  4. Middle English losen, from lose, n.
 

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/luz/
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