Difference Wiki

Loss vs. Lost

The main difference between Loss and Lost is that Loss is a noun, whereas Lost is a verb.

Key Differences

The noun loss refers to the procedure of losing someone or something; conversely, the verb lost is the past tense of lose. It means to be deprived of something or a state of ceasing to have something.
The word loss is a noun, whereas the word lost is a verb.
Loss is used as present, past, and future form, while lost is the past and past participle of ‘lose.’
Samantha Walker
Sep 13, 2020
The noun loss is associated with the present; on the other hand, the verb lost is associated with the past.
The common phrase with loss is “at a loss” on the other side, the common phrases with lost are “get lost, lost on.”
Samantha Walker
Sep 13, 2020
The word loss rhymes with “moss, boss,” etc.; contrarily, the word lost rhymes with cost, tost, etc.
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The meaning of loss is “an act of losing something” on the flip side; the meaning of lost is “someone loses something or loses at something.”
The loss ends in double ‘-ss’; on the converse, the word lost ends in ‘-st.’
Loss only functions as a noun; inversely, lost functions as a verb as well as an adjective.
Harlon Moss
Sep 13, 2020

Comparison Chart

.

Process of losing something or someone is loss
A state of ceasing to have something/ To be deprived of something is lost

Parts of Speech

Noun
Verb, adjective

Form

Present
Past, past participle
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Rhyming Words

Moss, boss
Cost, tost
Samantha Walker
Sep 13, 2020

Origin

From Germanic term 'los.'
From Germanic term 'los.'
Samantha Walker
Sep 13, 2020

Alphabets

Four
Four
Harlon Moss
Sep 13, 2020

Context

Present, past, future
Past

Loss and Lost Definitions

Loss

The act or an instance of losing
Nine losses during the football season.

Lost

Past tense and past participle of lose.
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Loss

One that is lost
Wrote their flooded house off as a loss.

Lost

Unable to find one's way
A lost child.

Loss

The condition of being deprived or bereaved of something or someone
Her loss was made easier by the support of her friends.

Lost

No longer in the possession, care, or control of someone or something
A lost pen.

Loss

The amount of something lost
Selling at a 50 percent loss.

Lost

No longer in existence; vanished or spent
Lost youth.

Loss

The harm or suffering caused by losing or being lost
The doctor's retirement is a great loss to the community.

Lost

No longer known or practiced
A lost art.

Loss

Losses People lost in wartime; casualties.

Lost

Beyond reach, communication, or influence
The expedition was lost to the world for two months.

Loss

Destruction
The war caused incalculable loss.

Lost

Not used to one's benefit or advantage
A lost opportunity.

Loss

(Electricity) The power decrease caused by resistance in a circuit, circuit element, or device.

Lost

Having not been or unlikely to be won; unsuccessful
A lost battle.
A lost cause.

Loss

The amount of a claim on an insurer by an insured.

Lost

Beyond recovery or redemption; fallen or destroyed
A lost soul.

Loss

(countable) The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement.
Loss of limb; weight loss; loss of cognitive functions; loss of appetite.

Lost

Completely involved or absorbed; rapt
Lost in thought.

Loss

(uncountable) The destruction or ruin of an object.

Lost

Bewildered or confused
I'm lost—can you start over?.

Loss

(countable) Something that has been destroyed or ruined.
It was a terrible crash; both cars were total losses.

Lost

Simple past tense and past participle of lose

Loss

(countable) Defeat; an instance of being defeated.
The match ended in their first loss of the season.

Lost

Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way.
The children were soon lost in the forest.

Loss

(countable) The death of a person or animal.
We mourn his loss.
The battle was won, but losses were great.

Lost

In an unknown location; unable to be found.
Deep beneath the ocean, the Titanic was lost to the world.

Loss

(uncountable) The condition of grief caused by losing someone or something, especially someone who has died.
Her daughter's sense of loss eventually led to depression.

Lost

Not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible.
An island lost in a fog; a person lost in a crowd

Loss

The sum an entity loses on balance.
The sum of expenditures and taxes minus total income is a loss, when this difference is positive.

Lost

Parted with; no longer held or possessed.
A lost limb; lost honour

Loss

(engineering) Electricity of kinetic power expended without doing useful work.
The inefficiency of many old-fashioned power plants exceeds 60% loss before the subsequent losses during transport over the grid.

Lost

Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered.
A lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit; no time should be lost

Loss

(colloquial) lost

Lost

Ruined or destroyed, either physically or morally; past help or hope.
A ship lost at sea; a woman lost to virtue; a lost soul

Loss

The act of losing; failure; destruction; privation; as, the loss of property; loss of money by gaming; loss of health or reputation.
Assured loss before the match be played.

Lost

Hardened beyond sensibility or recovery; alienated; insensible.
Lost to shame; lost to all sense of honour

Loss

The state of losing or having lost; the privation, defect, misfortune, harm, etc., which ensues from losing.
Though thou repent, yet I have still the loss.

Lost

Occupied with, or under the influence of, something, so as not to notice external things.
To be lost in thought

Loss

That which is lost or from which one has parted; waste; - opposed to gain or increase; as, the loss of liquor by leakage was considerable.

Lost

Parted with unwillingly or unintentionally; not to be found; missing; as, a lost book or sheep.

Loss

The state of being lost or destroyed; especially, the wreck or foundering of a ship or other vessel.

Lost

Parted with; no longer held or possessed; as, a lost limb; lost honor.

Loss

Failure to gain or win; as, loss of a race or battle.

Lost

Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered; as, a lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit.

Loss

Failure to use advantageously; as, loss of time.

Lost

Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way; bewildered; perplexed; as, a child lost in the woods; a stranger lost in London.

Loss

Killed, wounded, and captured persons, or captured property.

Lost

Ruined or destroyed, either physically or morally; past help or hope; as, a ship lost at sea; a woman lost to virtue; a lost soul.

Loss

Destruction or diminution of value, if brought about in a manner provided for in the insurance contract (as destruction by fire or wreck, damage by water or smoke), or the death or injury of an insured person; also, the sum paid or payable therefor; as, the losses of the company this year amount to a million of dollars.

Lost

Hardened beyond sensibility or recovery; alienated; insensible; as, lost to shame; lost to all sense of honor.

Loss

The act of losing;
Everyone expected him to win so his loss was a shock

Lost

Not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible; as, an island lost in a fog; a person lost in a crowd.

Loss

Something that is lost;
The car was a total loss
Loss of livestock left the rancher bankrupt

Lost

Occupied with, or under the influence of, something, so as to be insensible of external things; as, to be lost in thought.

Loss

The amount by which the cost of a business exceeds its revenue;
The company operated at a loss last year
The company operated in the red last year

Lost

People who are destined to die soon;
The agony of the doomed was in his voice

Loss

Gradual decline in amount or activity;
Weight loss
A serious loss of business

Lost

No longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered;
A lost child
Lost friends
His lost book
Lost opportunities

Loss

The disadvantage that results from losing something;
His loss of credibility led to his resignation
Losing him is no great deprivation

Lost

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

Loss

Military personnel lost by death or capture

Lost

Spiritually or physically doomed or destroyed;
Lost souls
A lost generation
A lost ship
The lost platoon

Loss

The experience of losing a loved one;
He sympathized on the loss of their grandfather

Lost

Not gained or won;
A lost battle
A lost prize

Loss

Euphemistic expressions for death;
Thousands mourned his passing

Lost

Incapable of being recovered or regained;
His lost honor

Lost

Not caught with the senses or the mind;
Words lost in the din

Lost

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

Lost

No longer known; irretrievable;
A forgotten art
A lost art
Lost civilizations

Lost

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

Lost

Unable to function; without help

Loss vs. Lost

The meaning of loss is “an act of losing something.” On the other hand, the meaning of lost is “someone loses something or loses at something.”

The noun loss refers to the losing process of someone or something; on the flip side, the verb lost is the past and past participle of lose. It means to be deprived of something or a state of ceasing to have something.

The noun loss is associated with the three forms present, past, and future, while the verb lost is always associated with the past.

The word loss rhymes with “moss, boss,” etc.; on the other hand, the word lost rhymes with cost, tost, etc. The word loss ends in double ‘-ss’ whereas the word lost ends in ‘-st.’

Word loss, only functions as a noun; on the contrary, lost function as a verb as well as an adjective. The meaning of lost as an adjective is “unable to find the required way.”

The common phrase with loss is “at a loss.” It means confusion, puzzlement, and the like. On the flip side, the common phrases with lost are “get lost, lost on.” ‘Get lost’ means to go away. This phrase expresses anger and impatience. ‘Lost on’ is used in the context when someone fails to be noted or appreciated.

What is Loss?

The loss falls into the category of a noun in the parts of speech. The meaning of loss is “an act of losing something.” It is the antonym of win. It is used in the context of sports and athletic competitions. The origin of the word ‘loss’ dates back to a Germanic term ‘los.’ It means destruction. Loss relates to the following meanings. It is a fact or process of losing someone or something. The word loss also describes the death of someone. The loss also means “an amount of money or any other tangible thing lost.” It also means “any situation of losing.”

The function of the word loss is only as a noun. It is associated with the three form present, past, and future. The word loss rhymes with “moss, boss,” etc. The noun loss does not have many forms. It only changes in case when it forms it’s plural ‘losses.’ the word loss ends in double ‘-ss.’ Briefly, the noun loss refers to the process of losing something or someone. The common phrase with loss is “at a loss.” It means confusion, puzzlement, and the like. The word loss is always used in the context of any unfortunate event.

Examples

  • The departure of the headmaster from the school is a ceasing loss for the students and teachers.
  • The result of higher taxes will be the loss of jobs.
  • We must learn from our loss and do not lose hope.
  • He was at a loss when he heard about the ailment of her father.
  • The mother is much worried about the loss of appetite of her four-year-old kid.

What is Lost?

The word lost falls into the category of the verb and adjective in parts of speech. The meaning of lost is “someone loses something or loses at something.” The antonym of lost is to win. This word is commonly seen in the context of sports and other competitions referring to unfortunate conditions.

The origin of the word ‘lost’ dates back to the Germanic term ‘los.’ It means destruction. The verb lost is the past tense and past participle of the verb ‘lose.’ It means to be deprived of something or a state of ceasing to have something. The verb lost is always associated with the past. It is the past participle of the verb ‘lose.’

The word lost rhymes with cost, tost, etc. It contains four letters. It ends in ‘-st.’ As an adjective, the meaning of lost is “unable to find the required way.” There are phrases with the word lost. These phrases are “lost on, get lost” Get lost means to go away. This phrase expresses anger and impatience. Lost is used in the context when someone fails to be noted or appreciated.

Also, the word lost is an irregular verb. It means that it does not follow the conjugation rules of standard English. It is not conjugated by the simple pattern of the addition of –ed. Rather it follows a different conjugation path. That is ‘lose’ for the present, ‘lost’ for the past, and ‘will lose’ for the future. Lost can also relate to incompetence to cope, excluding something or something. Lost also implies having gone or died or been ruined.

Examples

  • The U.S. economy had lost two million jobs that year; without government response.” The New Yorker
  • My friend told me about a very good gym where she lost 26 pounds after seven months of steady dieting and exercise.
  • Finally, I found my lost car keys.
  • The lost days of our childhood are never coming back.
  • I lost the game with my brother last night.

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