a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently
"The struggling startup was quickly labeled a loser after it failed to secure funding or gain customers within its first year."
a gambler who loses a bet
"After hours at the poker table, he walked away empty-handed and was just another loser who lost his last dollar on a bad hand."
A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.
"After years of trying, he finally admitted that he was a loser in the competitive world of chess."
In plain English: A loser is someone who fails repeatedly at things they try to do well.
"He called himself a loser after failing to pass the driving test again."
Usage: Use this term in informal contexts, but avoid it when referring to yourself as it carries strong negative connotations of self-deprecation. Prefer neutral alternatives like "defeated" or "unsuccessful" for formal writing.
A surname, from German.
"The genealogist confirmed that their family name was originally a common German surname rather than an insult."
From Middle English loser, losere, equivalent to lose + -er. In the sense of contemptible or worthless individual, perhaps an alteration of losel, which see.