Lost
lɒst
Definitions
3 meaningsTo fail to keep or maintain; to misplace and be unable to find.
lɒst
To be unable to find one's way; become disoriented.
I lost my keys this morning.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're playing hide-and-seek, and you can't find your friends anymore. You're *lost*! You don't know where you are or how to get back.
👶 For kids: When you can't find something, like your toy, you are lost!
More Examples
She lost her train of thought.
They lost the game by a single point.
How It's Used
"The hikers got lost in the forest."
"We lost our way in the new city."
Unable to find one's way; not knowing one's location or direction.
lɒst
Unable to find one's way; disoriented.
The child looked lost in the crowded marketplace.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're in a big shopping mall, and you don't know which way to go. You're *lost*, and you need help to find the exit.
👶 For kids: If you don't know where you are, you're lost.
More Examples
She felt lost and alone after moving to the new country.
The lost hiker was eventually found by a search party.
How It's Used
"The lost explorers eventually found their way back to civilization."
"The protagonist felt utterly lost in the city."
No longer possessed or enjoyed.
lɒst
No longer possessed or retained.
All the lost items are kept in the lost and found box.
💡 Simply: Imagine you had a delicious ice cream cone, but it fell on the ground and you can't eat it anymore. It's a *lost* opportunity or possession.
👶 For kids: When you don't have something anymore, like a toy that broke, it's lost.
More Examples
The company experienced lost revenue during the economic downturn.
She grieved the lost opportunity to travel the world.
How It's Used
"The company reported a lost investment."
"She mourned her lost youth."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
Lost in translation
Difficulties arising from translation; communication issues due to cultural or linguistic differences.
"The humor was lost in translation, and the joke didn't land well with the audience."
Lost cause
A situation or person that is unlikely to succeed or be helped.
"Trying to reason with him is a lost cause."
Lost and found
A place where lost items are kept for people to reclaim.
"He turned the wallet in at the lost and found."
From Old English *losian* meaning 'to perish, be destroyed.' Related to the verb 'lose'.
The word 'lost' has been in use since Old English times, evolving from a verb to describe destruction or disappearance.
Memory tip
Think of the opposite of 'found'. You *lost* something when you can't find it.
Word Origin
"to perish, be destroyed"