verb

lose

To cease retaining something previously held.

I often lose my keys when I switch bags.

Etymology

The Old English verb concerned perishing or becoming lost. English extended the idea to the person deprived of something: to lose is to cease having it.

More examples

These flowers lose their color as they dry.
He lost ten pounds over the summer.
We took a side street to lose the people following us.

Forms

lose · loses · lost · losing

loss noun — The state of no longer having something.

Similar words

misplace: Means putting something somewhere and then forgetting its location.
shed: Emphasizes dropping or getting rid of something previously carried.
forfeit: Means losing something as a penalty or required consequence.