Lose vs. Loose — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on November 2, 2023
"Lose" means to be deprived of or cease to have something, while "Loose" refers to something not firmly or tightly fixed in place.
Difference Between Lose and Loose
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Lose is a verb that indicates the action of misplacing something or failing to win. Loose is an adjective describing something that is not tight or contained.
Lose carries a sense of reduction or deprivation, like losing weight or losing one's keys. Loose could describe the fit of a garment or the state of being unbound or unrestricted.
One can lose confidence, suggesting a decline in belief or self-assurance. Conversely, a loose grip on a handlebar doesn't imply loss but a lack of tightness or security.
The term lose is also used in the context of time, such as losing track of time, which means to become unaware of the time passing. Loose, on the other hand, might refer to a schedule, indicating it's flexible or not strictly adhered to.
Lose has several grammatical forms, including lost as its past tense and losing as its present participle. Loose does not change form as a verb (to loosen is the verb form) and is used to modify nouns.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Verb
Adjective (verb: to loosen)
Meaning
To not find something or not win
Not tight or fixed in place
Usage
"Did you lose your keys?"
"The screw is loose."
Forms
Losing, lost
Looser, loosest
Related Words
Loser, loss
Loosely, looseness
Compare with Definitions
Lose
Misplacing an object.
I always lose my glasses.
Loose
Not securely fastened.
The bolt is loose.
Lose
Being defeated.
The team didn't want to lose the game.
Loose
Free from constraint.
He let the horses run loose.
Lose
Experiencing reduction.
He hopes to lose weight.
Loose
Relaxed in fit.
I prefer a loose sweater for comfort.
Lose
Forgetting knowledge.
If you don't practice, you'll lose your French.
Loose
Not dense or compact.
The soil in the garden was too loose.
Lose
Be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something)
Linda was very upset about losing her job
I've lost my appetite
The company may find itself losing customers to cheaper rivals
Loose
Not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached
The lorry's trailer came loose
A loose tooth
Lose
Become unable to find (something or someone)
I've lost the car keys
Loose
(of a garment) not fitting tightly or closely
She slipped into a loose T-shirt
Lose
Fail to win (a game or contest)
They lost by one vote
England lost the first Test match
Loose
Not close, compact, or solid in structure or formation
Loose soil
The fabric's loose weave
Lose
Earn less (money) than one is spending or has spent
The paper is losing £1.5 million a month
He lost heavily on box office flops
Loose
Not strict or exact
A loose interpretation
Lose
Waste or fail to take advantage of (time or an opportunity)
The government lost no time in holding fresh elections
He has lost his chance of becoming world No. 1
Loose
Engaging in casual sexual encounters or relationships
She ran the risk of being called a loose woman
Lose
To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay
He's always losing his car keys.
Loose
Loose play
He was in powerful form in the loose
Lose
To be deprived of (something one has had)
Lost her art collection in the fire.
Lost her job.
Loose
Set free; release
The hounds have been loosed
Lose
To be left alone or desolate because of the death of
Lost his wife.
Loose
Fire (a bullet, arrow, etc.)
He loosed off a shot at the vehicle
Lose
To be unable to keep alive
A doctor who has lost very few patients.
Loose
Not fastened, restrained, or contained
Loose bricks.
Lose
To be unable to keep control or allegiance of
Lost his temper at the meeting.
Is losing supporters by changing his mind.
Loose
Not taut, fixed, or rigid
A loose anchor line.
A loose chair leg.
Lose
To fail to win; fail in
Lost the game.
Lost the court case.
Loose
Free from confinement or imprisonment; unfettered
Criminals loose in the neighborhood.
Dogs that are loose on the streets.
Lose
To fail to use or take advantage of
Don't lose a chance to improve your position.
Loose
Not tight-fitting or tightly fitted
Loose shoes.
Lose
To fail to hear, see, or understand
We lost the plane in the fog. I lost her when she started speaking about thermodynamics.
Loose
Not bound, bundled, stapled, or gathered together
Loose papers.
Lose
To let (oneself) become unable to find the way.
Loose
Not compact or dense in arrangement or structure
Loose gravel.
Lose
To remove (oneself), as from everyday reality into a fantasy world.
Loose
Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; idle
Loose talk.
Lose
To rid oneself of
Lost five pounds.
Loose
Not formal; relaxed
A loose atmosphere at the club.
Lose
To consume aimlessly; waste
Lost a week in idle occupations.
Loose
Lacking conventional moral restraint in sexual behavior.
Lose
To wander from or become ignorant of
Lose one's way.
Loose
Not literal or exact
A loose translation.
Lose
To elude or outdistance
Lost their pursuers.
Loose
Characterized by a free movement of fluids in the body
A loose cough.
Loose bowels.
Lose
To be outdistanced by
Chased the thieves but lost them.
Loose
In a loose manner.
Lose
To become slow by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece.
Loose
To let loose; release
Loosed the dogs.
Lose
To cause or result in the loss of
Failure to reply to the advertisement lost her the job.
Loose
To make loose; undo
Loosed his belt.
Lose
To cause to be destroyed. Usually used in the passive
Both planes were lost in the crash.
Loose
To cast loose; detach
Hikers loosing their packs at camp.
Lose
To cause to be damned.
Loose
To let fly; discharge
Loosed an arrow.
Lose
To suffer loss
Investors who lost heavily on the firm's stock.
Loose
To release pressure or obligation from; absolve
Loosed her from the responsibility.
Lose
To be defeated
Our team lost in overtime.
Loose
To make less strict; relax
A leader's strong authority that was loosed by easy times.
Lose
To operate or run slow. Used of a timepiece.
Loose
(transitive) To let loose, to free from restraints.
Lose
(transitive) To cause (something) to cease to be in one's possession or capability due to unfortunate or unknown circumstances, events or reasons.
If you lose that ten-pound note, you'll be sorry.
He lost his hearing in the explosion.
She lost her position when the company was taken over.
Loose
(transitive) To unfasten, to loosen.
Lose
(transitive) To have (an organ) removed from one's body, especially by accident.
Johnny lost a tooth, but kept it for the tooth fairy.
He lost his spleen in a car wreck.
Loose
(transitive) To make less tight, to loosen.
Lose
(transitive) To shed (weight).
I’ve lost five pounds this week.
Loose
(intransitive) Of a grip or hold, to let go.
Lose
(transitive) To experience the death of (someone to whom one has an attachment, such as a relative or friend).
She lost all her sons in the war.
Loose
(archery) To shoot (an arrow).
Lose
(transitive) To give or owe (money) after losing a bet.
Loose
(obsolete) To set sail.
Lose
To be deprived of access to something.
Users who engage in disruptive behavior may lose their accounts.
Loose
(obsolete) To solve; to interpret.
Lose
To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to find; to go astray from.
I lost my way in the forest.
Loose
Not fixed in place tightly or firmly.
This wheelbarrow has a loose wheel.
Lose
(transitive) To fail to win (a game, competition, trial, etc).
We lost the football match.
You just lost The Game.
Loose
Not held or packaged together.
Lose
(transitive) To be unable to follow or trace (somebody or something) any longer.
The policeman lost the robber he was chasing.
Mission control lost the satellite as its signal died down.
Loose
Not under control.
The dog is loose again.
Lose
(transitive) To cause (somebody) to be unable to follow or trace one any longer.
We managed to lose our pursuers in the forest.
Loose
Not fitting closely
Lose
(transitive) To cease exhibiting; to overcome (a behavior or emotion).
Loose
Not compact.
A cloth of loose texture
Lose
To shed, remove, discard, or eliminate.
When we get into the building, please lose the hat.
Loose
Relaxed.
She danced with a loose flowing movement.
Lose
Of a clock, to run slower than expected.
My watch loses five minutes a week.
It's already 5:30? My watch must have lost a few minutes.
Loose
Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate.
A loose way of reasoning
Lose
(ditransitive) To cause (someone) the loss of something; to deprive of.
Loose
Indiscreet.
Loose talk costs lives.
Lose
To fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss.
I lost a part of what he said.
Loose
(somewhat dated) Free from moral restraint; immoral, unchaste.
Lose
(obsolete) Fame, renown; praise.
Loose
Not being in the possession of any competing team during a game.
He caught an elbow going after a loose ball.
The puck was momentarily loose right in front of the net.
Lose
To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.; to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg by amputation; to lose men in battle.
Fair Venus wept the sad disasterOf having lost her favorite dove.
Loose
(dated) Not costive; having lax bowels.
Lose
To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to lose one's health.
If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?
Loose
(of volumes of materials) Measured loosely stacked or disorganized (such as of firewood).
Lose
Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the benefits of instruction.
The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose.
Loose
Having oversteer.
Lose
To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to go astray from; as, to lose one's way.
He hath lost his fellows.
Loose
(archery) The release of an arrow.
Lose
To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on the ledge.
The woman that deliberates is lost.
Loose
(obsolete) A state of laxity or indulgence; unrestrained freedom, abandonment.
Lose
To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd.
Like following life thro' creatures you dissect,You lose it in the moment you detect.
Loose
(rugby) All play other than set pieces (scrums and line-outs).
Lose
To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence, to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I lost a part of what he said.
He shall in no wise lose his reward.
I fought the battle bravely which I lost,And lost it but to Macedonians.
Loose
Freedom from restraint.
Lose
To cause to part with; to deprive of.
How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves with so much passion?
Loose
A letting go; discharge.
Lose
To prevent from gaining or obtaining.
O false heart! thou hadst almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory.
In the excitement of such a discovery, many scholars lost their heads.
Loose
(archery) begin shooting; release your arrows
Lose
To suffer loss, disadvantage, or defeat; to be worse off, esp. as the result of any kind of contest.
We 'll . . . hear poor roguesTalk of court news; and we'll talk with them too,Who loses and who wins; who's in, who's out.
Loose
Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book.
Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat.
Lose
Fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense;
She lost her purse when she left it unattended on her seat
Loose
Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc.; - with from or of.
Now I standLoose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts ?
Lose
Fail to win;
We lost the battle but we won the war
Loose
Not tight or close; as, a loose garment.
Lose
Suffer the loss of a person through death or removal;
She lost her husband in the war
The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her
Loose
Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture.
With horse and chariots ranked in loose array.
Lose
Place (something) where one cannot find it again;
I misplaced my eyeglasses
Loose
Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning.
The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation.
Lose
Miss from one's possessions; lose sight of;
I've lost my glasses again!
Loose
Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right.
The loose morality which he had learned.
Lose
Allow to go out of sight;
The detective lost the man he was shadowing after he had to stop at a red light
Loose
Unconnected; rambling.
Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages.
Lose
Fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit;
I lost thousands of dollars on that bad investment!
The company turned a loss after the first year
The company has not profited from the merger
Loose
Lax; not costive; having lax bowels.
Lose
Fail to get or obtain;
I lost the opportunity to spend a year abroad
Loose
Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman.
Loose ladies in delight.
Lose
Retreat
Loose
Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle.
Lose
Fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind;
I missed that remark
She missed his point
We lost part of what he said
Loose
Freedom from restraint.
Lose
Be set at a disadvantage;
This author really suffers in translation
Loose
A letting go; discharge.
Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow.
Lose
Losing track.
She would often lose track of time while reading.
Loose
To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve.
Canst thou . . . loose the bands of Orion ?
Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me.
Loose
To release from anything obligatory or burdensome; to disengage; hence, to absolve; to remit.
Art thou loosed from a wife ? seek not a wife.
Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Loose
To relax; to loosen; to make less strict.
The joints of his loins were loosed.
Loose
To solve; to interpret.
Loose
To set sail.
Loose
Grant freedom to; free from confinement
Loose
Turn loose or free from restraint;
Let loose mines
Loose terrible plagues upon humanity
Loose
Make loose or looser;
Loosen the tension on a rope
Loose
Become loose or looser or less tight;
The noose loosened
The rope relaxed
Loose
Not restrained or confined or attached;
A pocket full of loose bills
Knocked the ball loose
Got loose from his attacker
Loose
Not compact or dense in structure or arrangement;
Loose gravel
Loose
(of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player;
A loose ball
Loose
Not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting;
Loose clothing
The large shoes were very loose
Loose
Not officially recognized or controlled;
An informal agreement
A loose organization of the local farmers
Loose
Not literal;
A loose interpretation of what she had been told
A free translation of the poem
Loose
Emptying easily or excessively;
Loose bowels
Loose
Not affixed;
The stamp came loose
Loose
Not tense or taut;
The old man's skin hung loose and gray
Slack and wrinkled skin
Slack sails
A slack rope
Loose
(of textures) full of small openings or gaps;
An open texture
A loose weave
Loose
Not fixed firmly or tightly;
The bolts became loose over time
A loose chair leg
Loose bricks
Loose
Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility;
Idle talk
A loose tongue
Loose
Not carefully arranged in a package;
A box of loose nails
Loose
Freely producing mucus;
A loose phlegmy cough
Loose
Having escaped, especially from confinement;
A convict still at large
Searching for two escaped prisoners
Dogs loose on the streets
Criminals on the loose in the neighborhood
Loose
Casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior;
Her easy virtue
He was told to avoid loose (or light) women
Wanton behavior
Loose
Not bound or fastened or gathered together;
Loose pages
Loose papers
Loose
Without restraint;
Cows in India are running loose
Loose
Not strict or precise.
We had a loose plan for the weekend.
Common Curiosities
Is it 'lose weight' or 'loose weight'?
It's 'lose weight,' meaning to reduce body weight.
Can loose be a verb?
Yes, in the form 'to loosen,' meaning to make less tight.
Is it 'lose your mind' or 'loose your mind'?
It's 'lose your mind,' meaning to become irrational or crazy.
Can lose and loose be used interchangeably?
No, they have different meanings and usages.
How do you spell the opposite of win?
Lose.
What is a common mistake with lose and loose?
A common mistake is using loose when you mean lose.
How do you use loose correctly?
Use loose to describe something that is not tight or constrained.
What does lose mean?
To not retain something or fail to win.
What does loose mean?
Not tight or securely in place.
What's the noun form of loose?
Looseness.
What does it mean to loose an arrow?
To loose an arrow means to release it from a bow.
What is the past tense of lose?
The past tense of lose is lost.
What's the adjective form of lose?
Lose is a verb and doesn't have an adjective form, but 'lost' can be used as an adjective.
Do loose and lose have the same pronunciation?
No, they are pronounced differently: loose (loos), lose (looz).
Can lose be used as a noun?
No, the noun form is loss.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
