lose

lose — 動詞

1. when you cannot recall where you placed a thing you once owned, such as a wallet

1.動詞及物A2
釋義

遺失；弄丟

找不到放置的物品

when you cannot recall where you placed a thing you once owned, such as a wallet or a set of keys

例句

Chiara lost her car keys and spent an hour looking for them.

Chiara 弄丟了車鑰匙，花了整整一個小時到處找。

lose + physical object (keys, wallet, phone)

Adina lost her library book and had to pay a fine.

Adina 弄丟了圖書館的書，只好付了罰款。

同義詞
  • misplace

    more formal, often suggests you put something in the wrong spot

  • mislay

    slightly old-fashioned, implies you placed it somewhere and forgot

反義詞
  • find

    to discover where something is

  • locate

    more formal, to find the exact position

文法句型

lose + noun phrase (physical object)

用法筆記

Only used for physical objects that can be misplaced. For abstract things (time, opportunity), see senses 3, 4, and 5.

常見錯誤

❌I always loose my keys.
✅I always lose my keys.
💡'Lose' is a verb meaning misplace; 'loose' is an adjective meaning not tight.

2. to stop having a person or a thing in your life because they die, leave, or are

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

痛失；喪失

因死亡或意外而失去

to stop having a person or a thing in your life because they die, leave, or are destroyed by an unexpected event

例句

Hugo lost his mother to cancer when he was only twelve years old.

Hugo 十二歲時就因癌症失去了母親。

lose + family member + to [cause]

Bilal lost his job when the factory closed down last summer.

Bilal 去年夏天工廠倒閉時失去了工作。

同義詞
反義詞
  • keep

    to continue having something

  • gain

    to obtain something new

文法句型

lose + noun phrase (person/job/possession)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person or a community. When referring to death, the cause often follows the pattern 'lose someone to [cause]' (e.g. lost her father to cancer). Distinguish from sense 1 (MISPLACE): here the loss is permanent and not about forgetting where something is.

常見錯誤

❌I lost my job because I decided to quit.
✅I lost my job when the company downsized.
💡'Lose a job' means it was taken away from you, not that you left voluntarily.

3. to gradually or suddenly stop having a particular feeling, attitude, or quality

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

失去（感覺）

不再懷有某種感受

to gradually or suddenly stop having a particular feeling, attitude, or quality that you had before

例句

Putri lost all interest in her hobby after doing it for years.

Putri 對自己的嗜好持續了幾年後，完全失去了興趣。

lose + interest / enthusiasm / hope

Christopher lost his temper when the computer crashed for the third time.

Christopher 的電腦第三次當機時，他發火了。

同義詞
反義詞
  • keep

    to continue feeling something

  • maintain

    formal, to keep a feeling or attitude going

文法句型

lose + abstract noun (interest, hope, faith, temper, patience)

用法筆記

Common in fixed phrases: 'lose your temper' (get angry), 'lose your nerve' (become scared), 'lose faith/trust' (stop believing). These are often idiomatic and the exact collocation cannot be guessed.

常見錯誤

❌She lost to study hard.
✅She lost the desire to study hard.
💡'Lose' needs a noun object; it cannot be directly followed by a verb.

4. to experience a steady reduction in a physical quality or feature, such as hair,

4.動詞及物B1
釋義

減少；流失

數量或程度逐漸變少

to experience a steady reduction in a physical quality or feature, such as hair, strength, or weight, often as you grow older

例句

Antonia has been losing her hair since she turned thirty-five.

Antonia 從三十五歲以來就一直掉頭髮。

lose + hair / weight / eyesight (gradual physical change)

Dr. Okonkwo noticed that he was losing his eyesight in one eye.

Okonkwo 醫生注意到自己一隻眼睛的視力正在衰退。

同義詞
  • have less

    simpler, neutral phrasing

  • shed

    used specifically for hair, leaves, or weight

反義詞
  • gain

    to increase in amount or quantity

  • put on

    specifically for weight

文法句型

lose + noun phrase (hair, weight, leaves, colour)

用法筆記

Commonly progressive: 'I am losing my hair.' Use 'lose weight' for intentionally or unintentionally becoming lighter. Distinguish from sense 2 (LOSE THROUGH DEATH): here the change is gradual and natural, not caused by a sudden event.

常見錯誤

❌I am losing my weight very quickly.
✅I am losing weight very quickly.
💡'Weight' is used without a possessive pronoun in this context.

5. to use time badly or fail to take advantage of an opportunity, often by doing so

5.動詞及物B1
釋義

浪費（時間）

沒有好好利用時間或機會

to use time badly or fail to take advantage of an opportunity, often by doing something unproductive

例句

Mark lost an hour waiting for a train that never arrived.

Mark 等了一班從未到來的火車，白白浪費了一小時。

lose + time + -ing form

The sales team lost a great opportunity when they rejected the offer.

業務團隊拒絕了那份報價，錯失了大好機會。

lose + opportunity / chance

同義詞
  • waste

    stronger, more direct; can imply fault

  • squander

    more dramatic, suggests a serious missed chance

反義詞

文法句型

lose + time/opportunity

lose + noun + -ing

用法筆記

The fixed phrase 'no time to lose' means you must act immediately. The -ing form follows the object of time (e.g. 'lost time waiting'). For wasting financial resources, see sibling sense 8 (LOSE MONEY).

常見錯誤

❌I lost time to wait for him.
✅I lost time waiting for him.
💡After 'lose time,' use the -ing form of the verb, not the infinitive.

6. when a timepiece runs at a speed that is too slow, causing it to show a time tha

6.動詞不及物B1
釋義

走慢

時鐘比實際時間慢

when a timepiece runs at a speed that is too slow, causing it to show a time that is earlier than the real time

例句

Grandfather's pocket watch loses about five minutes every week.

爺爺的懷錶每週大約慢五分鐘。

clock/watch + loses + time period

The clock in the library loses time, so the bell rings late each hour.

圖書館的時鐘走慢了，所以每個整點的鐘聲都會晚響。

同義詞
反義詞
  • gain

    when a clock goes too fast

  • run fast

    the opposite behaviour

文法句型

clock/watch + loses

clock/watch + loses + time period

用法筆記

The opposite of 'lose' in this sense is 'gain' (a clock that runs fast gains time). This sense is less common in American English, where 'runs slow' is preferred instead.

常見錯誤

❌My watch losses five minutes every day.
✅My watch loses five minutes every day.
💡'Losses' is a noun; the third-person singular verb is 'loses.'

7. to remove or reduce something unwanted from your body or your life, such as weig

7.動詞及物B1
釋義

減掉；甩掉

擺脫不需要的東西

to remove or reduce something unwanted from your body or your life, such as weight, fat, or a bad habit.

例句

Dewi lost three kilograms after changing her diet and exercising more.

Dewi 改變飲食習慣並增加運動後，減掉了三公斤。

collocation: lose weight / lose kilograms

The doctor told Andrew he needed to lose some weight before his next check-up.

醫生告訴 Andrew 在下次檢查前需要減重。

同義詞
  • shed

    more specific to weight or hair (e.g. 'shed five kilos')

  • drop

    informal, common for weight ('drop a few pounds')

反義詞
  • gain

    for weight ('gain weight')

  • put on

    informal, opposite of losing weight

文法句型

lose + noun phrase

用法筆記

Object is typically something undesirable (weight, fat, a habit, a fear). Not used for deliberately discarding objects — use 'throw away' or 'get rid of' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I lost my old sofa last weekend.
✅I got rid of my old sofa last weekend.
💡'lose' means unintentionally no longer having something; use 'get rid of' for deliberate removal.

8. to spend more money than you receive, so that a business or project operates at

8.動詞及物B2
釋義

虧損

支出超過收入的狀態

to spend more money than you receive, so that a business or project operates at a financial loss.

例句

The small café lost money in its first year and had to change its menu.

那家小咖啡廳第一年虧損，只好更改菜單。

collocation: lose money

Reuben's company lost over two million dollars on that failed project.

Reuben 的公司在那個失敗的專案上虧損超過兩百萬美元。

pattern: lose + amount + on + noun

同義詞
  • bleed

    informal, dramatic ('the company is bleeding cash')

反義詞

文法句型

lose + money

lose + amount + on + noun

用法筆記

Common with amounts of money and the preposition 'on' (e.g. 'lost $500,000 on the deal'). Frequently appears in business news and financial reports. The passive form ('money was lost') is also common.

常見錯誤

❌The shop lost money last month, but it still made a profit.
✅The shop lost money last month, so it did not make a profit.
💡'lose money' and 'make a profit' are opposites; they cannot both be true at the same time.

9. to finish a contest without being the winner — used for games, matches, competit

9.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

輸掉

未能贏得比賽或競爭

to finish a contest without being the winner — used for games, matches, competitions, elections, and arguments where one side is declared the victor.

例句

Our school team lost the final match by just a single point.

我們學校的隊伍在決賽中只差一分就輸了。

transitive: lose + competition

Talia lost the class election by fewer than fifty votes.

Talia 以不到五十票之差輸掉了班級選舉。

同義詞
反義詞
  • win

    direct opposite

  • beat

    active opposite ('beat the other team')

文法句型

lose + noun (game, match, election)

lose (no object)

用法筆記

Can be used transitively ('lose a game') or intransitively ('they lost again'). The preposition 'to' introduces the opponent: 'lose to someone'. Not used for failing an exam — use 'fail' instead.

常見錯誤

❌I lost my driving test.
✅I failed my driving test.
💡'lose' is for competitions with opponents; 'fail' is for tests and exams.

10. to fail to hear, see, or understand something that is being communicated, becaus

10.動詞及物B2
釋義

錯失；漏聽

未能聽見、看見或理解

to fail to hear, see, or understand something that is being communicated, because of noise, distance, or complexity.

例句

Mateo's final words were lost in the roar of the passing train.

Mateo 最後說的話淹沒在火車經過的轟隆聲中。

passive: be lost in [noise]

Élise lost the last part of the lecture when her phone rang.

Élise 因為手機響了，錯過了演講的最後一段。

同義詞
  • miss

    more general ('miss what someone said')

  • fail to catch

    explicit ('fail to catch the name')

文法句型

be lost in + noun phrase

lose + noun (words, sounds, meaning)

用法筆記

Common in the passive voice ('be lost in', 'be lost on'). 'Lost on someone' means the person fails to understand or appreciate something. 'Lost in something' means the sound or words are drowned out.

常見錯誤

❌I lost the movie because I was late.
✅I missed the beginning of the movie because I was late.
💡'lose' means failing to catch sensory input; 'miss' is for not arriving in time for an event.

11. to stop being able to see someone or something as they move away from you; or to

11.動詞及物B2
釋義

失去…蹤影

看不見某人或某物

to stop being able to see someone or something as they move away from you; or to escape from someone who is following or pursuing you.

例句

Christopher lost sight of his friend in the busy night market.

Christopher 在熱鬧的夜市中和朋友走散了。

collocation: lose sight of

The police lost the suspect when he ran into a crowd of shoppers.

警方在嫌犯衝進購物人潮後失去了他的蹤影。

同義詞
  • shake off

    informal; escaping a pursuer ('shake off a tail')

  • outrun

    physical; escaping by speed

反義詞
  • spot

    opposite — to suddenly see ('spot someone in a crowd')

  • keep track of

    maintaining visual contact

文法句型

lose sight of + noun phrase

用法筆記

Almost always used with 'sight of' — 'lose sight of someone/something'. The 'escape' meaning ('lose a pursuer') typically implies physical pursuit. For abstract figurative use ('lose sight of your goals'), see the primary chunk.

常見錯誤

❌I lost my keys' (when meaning you misplaced them).
✅I lost sight of my keys' means you could see them a moment ago but now cannot. Use sense 1 (misplace) for everyday disappearance from your possession.