- 1 [uncountable, countable, usually singular] the state of no longer having something or as much of something; the process that leads to this I want to report the loss of a package. loss of blood weight loss The closure of the factory will lead to a number of job losses. When she died I was filled with a sense of loss. loss of earnings (= the money you do not earn because you are prevented from working) Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveappreciable, considerable, significant, … verb + losssuffer, cause, prevent, … prepositionloss of phrasesno great loss, be at a loss See full entry
- 2 [countable] money that has been lost by a business or an organization The company has announced net losses of $1.5 million. We made a loss on (= lost money on) the deal. We are now operating at a loss. opposite profit Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecatastrophic, enormous, heavy, … verb + lossincur, make, suffer, … prepositionat a loss, loss on See full entry See related entries: Economy, Running a business
- 3 [countable, uncountable] the death of a person The loss of his wife was a great blow to him. Enemy troops suffered heavy losses. The drought has led to widespread loss of life. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveenormous, great, terrible, … verb + losssuffer, sustain, take, … prepositionloss to phrasesa sense of loss See full entry
- 4 [singular] the disadvantage that is caused when somebody leaves or when a useful or valuable object is taken away; a person who causes a disadvantage by leaving Her departure is a big loss to the school. She will be a great loss to the school. If he isn't prepared to accept this money, then that's his loss. see also dead loss
- 5[countable] a failure to win a contest Brazil’s 2–1 loss to Argentina Word OriginOld English los ‘destruction’, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse los ‘breaking up of the ranks of an army’ and loose; later probably a back-formation from lost, past participle of lose.Extra examples Fighter planes inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. He decided to cut his losses and sell the shares before they sank further. He suffered a loss of confidence. Her suicide was a terrible loss to the music world. His death is a sad loss to all who knew him. His passing is a tremendous loss for all of us. It took the company five years to recoup its losses. No bank would be willing to underwrite such a loss. Our country had sustained a tremendous loss of innocent life. Reductions in spending would have led to a much greater loss of jobs. She suffered a significant loss of hearing after the operation. She was filled with an overwhelming sense of loss. She wouldn’t be able to attend the lecture, which was no great loss. The bookshop was operating at a loss. The business sustained losses of €20 million. The company is expected to announce 200 job losses. The company took a big loss of 28%. The enemy suffered heavy losses. The family has suffered a terrible loss. The fund may not be large enough to absorb these losses. The knife hit an artery, causing significant blood loss. The ship sank with great loss of life. There’s no way you can make a loss on this deal. They form a barrier to prevent water loss. We are at a loss to understand his actions. We can offset the loss against next year’s budget. We made a net loss on the transaction. Weight loss can be a sign of a serious illness. a gradual loss of hope long-term tax revenue losses loss of appetite partial loss of eyesight rapid weight loss the devastating losses of the war the dramatic loss of farmland to urban growth the tragic loss of her husband The company has announced net losses of $1.5 million.Idioms
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//lɒs//; NAmE NAmE//lɔːs//, NAmE//lɑːs//
Economy, Running a businessnot knowing what to say or do His comments left me at a loss for words. I'm at a loss what to do next.
to stop doing something that is not successful before the situation becomes even worse I decided to cut my losses and move back to England.
Check pronunciation: loss
