Lose vs. Win — What's the Difference?

Be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something)

To achieve victory or finish first in a competition.

Become unable to find (something or someone)

To achieve success in an effort or venture

Fail to win (a game or contest)

To achieve victory or finish first in

Earn less (money) than one is spending or has spent

To receive as a prize or reward for performance

Waste or fail to take advantage of (time or an opportunity)

To achieve or obtain by effort

To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay

To gain (respect or love, for example) by effort

To be deprived of (something one has had)

To make (one's way) with effort.

To be left alone or desolate because of the death of

To reach with difficulty

To be unable to keep alive

To take in battle; capture

To be unable to keep control or allegiance of

To succeed in gaining the affection or loyalty of (someone)

To fail to win; fail in

To succeed in gaining the favor or support of; prevail on

To fail to use or take advantage of

To discover and open (a vein or deposit) in mining.

To fail to hear, see, or understand

To extract from a mine or from mined ore.

To let (oneself) become unable to find the way.

A victory, especially in a competition.

To remove (oneself), as from everyday reality into a fantasy world.

First place in a competition.

To rid oneself of

An amount won or earned.

To consume aimlessly; waste

To conquer, defeat.

To wander from or become ignorant of

To reach some destination or object, despite difficulty or toil (now usually intransitive, with preposition or locative adverb).

To elude or outdistance

(transitive) To triumph or achieve victory in (a game, a war, etc.).

To be outdistanced by

(transitive) To gain (a prize) by succeeding in competition or contest.

To become slow by (a specified amount of time). Used of a timepiece.

(transitive) To obtain (someone) by wooing; to make an ally or friend of (frequently with over).

To cause or result in the loss of

(intransitive) To achieve victory.

To cause to be destroyed. Usually used in the passive

(intransitive) To have power, coercion or control.

To cause to be damned.

(transitive) To obtain (something desired).

To suffer loss

(transitive) To cause a victory for someone.

To be defeated

To extract (ore, coal, etc.).

To operate or run slow. Used of a timepiece.

To defeat or surpass someone or something.

(transitive) To cause (something) to cease to be in one's possession or capability due to unfortunate or unknown circumstances, events or reasons.

To dry by exposure to the wind.

(transitive) To have (an organ) removed from one's body, especially by accident.

An individual victory.

(transitive) To shed (weight).

(slang) A feat carried out successfully; a victorious achievement.

(transitive) To experience the death of (someone to whom one has an attachment, such as a relative or friend).

(obsolete) Gain; profit; income.

(transitive) To give or owe (money) after losing a bet.

(obsolete) Wealth; goods owned.

To be deprived of access to something.

(Scotland) Pleasure; joy; delight.

To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to find; to go astray from.

To gain by superiority in competition or contest; to obtain by victory over competitors or rivals; as, to win the prize in a gate; to win money; to win a battle, or to win a country.

(transitive) To fail to win (a game, competition, trial, etc).

To allure to kindness; to bring to compliance; to gain or obtain, as by solicitation or courtship.

(transitive) To be unable to follow or trace (somebody or something) any longer.

To gain over to one's side or party; to obtain the favor, friendship, or support of; to render friendly or approving; as, to win an enemy; to win a jury.

(transitive) To cause (somebody) to be unable to follow or trace one any longer.

To come to by toil or effort; to reach; to overtake.

(transitive) To cease exhibiting; to overcome (a behavior or emotion).

To extract, as ore or coal.

To shed, remove, discard, or eliminate.

To gain the victory; to be successful; to triumph; to prevail.

Of a clock, to run slower than expected.

A victory (as in a race or other competition);

(ditransitive) To cause (someone) the loss of something; to deprive of.

Something won (especially money)

To fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss.

Be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious;

(obsolete) Fame, renown; praise.

Win something through one's efforts;

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.

Obtain advantages, such as points, etc.;

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.

Attain success or reach a desired goal;

Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the benefits of instruction.

To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to go astray from; as, to lose one's way.

To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on the ledge.

To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd.

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.

To cause to part with; to deprive of.

To prevent from gaining or obtaining.

To suffer loss, disadvantage, or defeat; to be worse off, esp. as the result of any kind of contest.

Fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense;

Fail to win;

Suffer the loss of a person through death or removal;

Place (something) where one cannot find it again;

Miss from one's possessions; lose sight of;

Allow to go out of sight;

Fail to make money in a business; make a loss or fail to profit;

Fail to get or obtain;

Retreat

Fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind;

Be set at a disadvantage;