Home / Dictionary / Lost

Lost Very Common

Lost has 12 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Adjective

Definitions
Noun
1

people who are destined to die soon

"the agony of the doomed was in his voice"

Verb
1

simple past tense and past participle of lose

"After I lost my keys, I spent twenty minutes searching every room in the house before finding them under the sofa cushion."

In plain English: To lose something means to no longer have it because you cannot find where it is.

"He got lost in the forest while hiking."

Usage: Use "lost" to describe something that was previously possessed or found but has since been misplaced or gone missing. It functions as the simple past tense and past participle of the verb "lose."

Adjective
1

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

"a lost child"

"lost friends"

"his lost book"

"lost opportunities"

2

having lost your bearings; confused as to time or place or personal identity

"I frequently find myself disoriented when I come up out of the subway"

"the anesthetic left her completely disoriented"

3

spiritually or physically doomed or destroyed

"lost souls"

"a lost generation"

"a lost ship"

"the lost platoon"

4

not gained or won

"a lost battle"

"a lost prize"

5

incapable of being recovered or regained

"his lost honor"

6

not caught with the senses or the mind

"words lost in the din"

7

deeply absorbed in thought

"as distant and bemused as a professor listening to the prattling of his freshman class"

"lost in thought"

"a preoccupied frown"

8

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

"obviously bemused by his questions"

"bewildered and confused"

"a cloudy and confounded philosopher"

"just a mixed-up kid"

"she felt lost on the first day of school"

9

unable to function; without help

"After his nervous system crashed from the overdose, he was completely lost and couldn't move an inch until someone found him."

10

Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way.

"After taking a wrong turn in the unfamiliar neighborhood, I realized I was completely lost and had no idea which street led back home."

In plain English: Lost means unable to find your way or not knowing where you are.

"She felt lost when she arrived at the wrong train station."

Usage: Use "lost" as an adjective to describe someone who cannot find their way or is physically separated from their intended path. It applies when a person has wandered off course and lacks knowledge of how to return or proceed.

Example Sentences
"She felt lost when she arrived at the wrong train station." adj
"The lost keys were buried under the sofa cushions." adj
"He felt completely lost in the crowded city without his phone." adj
"That old photo album has many lost pictures from our childhood." adj
"He got lost in the forest while hiking." verb
Related Terms
Antonyms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)

Origin

The word "lost" comes from the Old English verb lose, which originally meant to let go or release something. It entered Middle English with the same meaning before becoming the standard past tense and past participle of "lose" in modern English.

Rhyming Words
Compare
Lost vs