Link Centre Dictionary

loss

UK/lɒs/ US/lɔs/ common

noun

1.

the act of losing

  • “everyone expected him to win so his loss was a shock”
2.

something that is lost

  • “the car was a total loss”
  • “loss of livestock left the rancher bankrupt”
3.

the amount by which the cost of a business exceeds its revenue

  • “the company operated at a loss last year”
  • “the company operated in the red last year”
Synonyms
Antonyms
4.

gradual decline in amount or activity

  • “weight loss”
  • “a serious loss of business”
5.

the disadvantage that results from losing something

  • “his loss of credibility led to his resignation”
  • “losing him is no great deprivation”
Synonyms
6.
7.

the experience of losing a loved one

  • “he sympathized on the loss of their grandfather”
8.

euphemistic expressions for death

  • “thousands mourned his passing”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English los, from Old English los (“damage, destruction, loss”), from Proto-West Germanic *los, from Proto-Germanic *lusą (“dissolution, break-up, loss”), from Proto-Indo-European *lews- (“to cut, sunder, separate, loose, lose”). Cognate with Icelandic los (“dissolution, looseness, break-up”), Old English lor, forlor (“loss, ruin”), Middle High German verlor (“loss, ruin”). More at lose.

Phrases

  • at a loss
  • at a loss for words
  • blood loss
  • bone loss
  • capital loss
  • core loss
  • dead loss
  • deadweight loss

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.