HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
v. lost (lôst, lŏst), los·ing, los·es v.tr. 1. To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay: He's always losing his car keys. 2. a. To be deprived of (something one has had): lost her art collection in the fire; lost her job. b. To be left alone or desolate because of the death of: lost his wife. c. To be unable to keep alive: a doctor who has lost very few patients. 3. To be unable to keep control or allegiance of: lost his temper at the meeting; is losing supporters by changing his mind. 4. To fail to win; fail in: lost the game; lost the court case. 5. To fail to use or take advantage of: Don't lose a chance to improve your position. 6. To fail to hear, see, or understand: We lost the plane in the fog. I lost her when she started speaking about thermodynamics. 7. a. To let (oneself) become unable to find the way. b. To remove (oneself), as from everyday reality into a fantasy world. 8. To rid oneself of: lost five pounds. 9. To consume aimlessly; waste: lost a week in idle occupations. 10. To wander from or become ignorant of: lose one's way. 11. a. To elude or outdistance: lost their pursuers. b. To be outdistanced by: chased the thieves but lost them. 12. To become slow by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece. 13. To cause or result in the loss of: Failure to reply to the advertisement lost her the job. 14. To cause to be destroyed. Usually used in the passive: Both planes were lost in the crash. 15. To cause to be damned. v.intr. Phrasal Verb: 1. To suffer loss: investors who lost heavily on the firm's stock. 2. To be defeated: Our team lost in overtime. 3. To operate or run slow. Used of a timepiece. lose out Idioms: To fail to achieve or receive an expected gain. lose it Slang 1. To become very angry or emotionally upset. 2. To become deranged or mentally disturbed. 3. To become less capable or proficient; decline: He can still play tennis well. He hasn't lost it yet. lose out on To miss (an opportunity, for example). lose time 1. To operate too slowly. Used of a timepiece. 2. To delay advancement. [Middle English losen, from Old English losian, to perish, from los, loss; see leu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
