lose

Etymology 1

From Middle English losen, from Old English losian, from Proto-Germanic *lusōną, *luzōną, from Proto-Germanic *lusą.

verb

1. (transitive) To cause (something) to cease to be in one's possession or capability due to unfortunate or unknown circumstances, events or reasons.
   1. (transitive) To have (an organ) removed from one's body, especially by accident.
      Johnny lost a tooth, but kept it for the tooth fairy.
      He lost his spleen in a car wreck.
   2. (transitive) To shed (weight).
      I’ve lost five pounds this week.
   3. (transitive) To experience the death of (someone to whom one has an attachment, such as a relative or friend).
      She lost all her sons in the war.
   4. (transitive) To give or owe (money) after losing a bet.
   5. To be deprived of access to something.
      Users who engage in disruptive behavior may lose their accounts.
2. To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to find; to go astray from.
   I lost my way in the forest.
3. (transitive) To fail to win (a game, competition, trial, etc).
   We lost the football match.
   You just lost The Game.
   I fought the battle bravely which I lost, / And lost it but to Macedonians. 1692, John Dryden, Cleomenes, the Spartan Hero, a Tragedy
   Well, some news from overseas: according to a new report, Russia is now buying military supplies from North Korea. Yep, Russia's asking North Korea for help. Uh, tell us you're losing the war without telling us you're losing the war. September 07, 2022, 5:25 from the start, in Trump Tried to Pay Lawyer with a Horse, Also Stole Material on Foreign Nation's Nuclear Capabilities (Comedy), spoken by Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, archived from the original on 2022-09-08
4. (transitive) To be unable to follow or trace (somebody or something) any longer.
   The policeman lost the robber he was chasing.
   Mission control lost the satellite as its signal died down.
5. (transitive) To cause (somebody) to be unable to follow or trace one any longer.
   We managed to lose our pursuers in the forest.
6. (transitive) To cease exhibiting; to overcome (a behavior or emotion).
   I can see Mickie getting hot, I'm about to grab his arm, hold him back, say, Whoa, whoa, Mick, not here, it ain't worth it what happened inside just now. But I don't need to because Mickie loses his anger, starts smiling at ponytail, then melodramatically starts looking around at the men and women on the street going in and out of the courthouse. 2007, Ron Liebman, Death by Rodrigo, New York: Simon & Schuster, page 134
   Her attitude was so bad my mother wound up telling her, “You know we really don't have to be standing here talking to you, so you can lose the attitude or you can leave. 2012, Tracy Brooks, Dancing in the Rain, page 349
7. (transitive, informal) To shed, remove, discard, or eliminate.
   When we get into the building, please lose the hat.
   You can bet that the next woman who "loses" the top half of her bikini at the beach was born under the sign of Libra. 1976, Martine, Sexual Astrology
8. Of a clock, to run slower than expected.
   My watch loses five minutes a week.
   It's already 5:30? My watch must have lost a few minutes.
9. (ditransitive) To cause (someone) the loss of something; to deprive of.
   O false heart! thou hadst almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory. 1650, Richard Baxter, The Saints' Everlasting Rest
   a. 1699, Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet, On the Excesses of Grief How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves with so much passion?
   This lost Catholicism […] any semblance of a claim to special status, and also highlighted the gains which other religious formations had derived from the Revolution. 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 556
10. To fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss.
    I lost a part of what he said.

Etymology 2

From Old French los, loos, from Latin laudēs, plural of laus (“praise”).

noun

1. (obsolete) Fame, renown; praise.