Definition of LOSS

loss

Plural: losses

Noun

  • The act of losing, or the state of being lost.
  • something that is lost
    • "the car was a total loss"
    • "loss of livestock left the rancher bankrupt"
  • gradual decline in amount or activity
    • "weight loss"
    • "a serious loss of business"
  • the act of losing someone or something
    • "everyone expected him to win so his loss was a shock"
  • the disadvantage that results from losing something
    • "his loss of credibility led to his resignation"
  • the experience of losing a loved one
    • "he sympathized on the loss of their grandfather"
  • the amount by which the cost of a business exceeds its revenue
    • "the company operated at a loss last year"
  • military personnel lost by death or capture
  • euphemistic expressions for death
  • The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement.
  • The destruction or ruin of an object.
  • Something that has been destroyed or ruined.
  • Defeat; an instance of being defeated.
  • The death of a person or animal.
  • The condition of grief caused by losing someone or something, especially someone who has died.
  • The sum an entity loses on balance.
  • Electricity of kinetic power expended without doing useful work.

Verb

  • Alternative spelling of lost.

Examples

  • A single bad play can lead to an irrecoverable LOSS in a close Words With Friends match.
  • Her daughter's sense of loss eventually led to depression.
  • In other areas, glacier loss creates serious risk of a dry period across the Third Pole, Wang said.
  • It was a terrible crash; both cars were total losses.
  • loss of limb; weight loss; loss of cognitive functions; loss of appetite.
  • The battle was won, but losses were great.
  • The inefficiency of many old-fashioned power plants exceeds 60% loss before the subsequent losses during transport over the grid.
  • The match ended in their first loss of the season.
  • The sum of expenditures and taxes minus total income is a loss, when this difference is positive.
  • We mourn his loss.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

departure, deprivation, exit, expiration, going, passing, personnel casualty, red, red ink, release, deperdition, expense, forlesing, loss

Scrabble Score: 4

loss: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
loss: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
loss: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 5

loss: valid Words With Friends Word