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Webster 1913 Edition


Loss

Loss

(lŏs; 115)
,
Noun.
[AS.
los
loss, losing, fr.
leísan
to lose. √127. See
Lose
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
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.
Shakespeare
2.
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
.
Shak
3.
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
.
4.
The state of being lost or destroyed; especially, the wreck or foundering of a ship or other vessel.
5.
Failure to gain or win;
as,
loss
of a race or battle
.
6.
Failure to use advantageously;
as,
loss
of time
.
7.
(Mil.)
Killed, wounded, and captured persons, or captured property.
8.
(Insurance)
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
.
Syn. – Privation; detriment; injury; damage.

Webster 1828 Edition


Loss

LOSS

, n.
1.
privation, as the loss of property; loss of money by gaming; loss of health or reputation. every loss is not a detriment. we cannot regret the loss of bad company or of evil habits.
2.
Destruction; ruin; as the loss of a ship at sea; the loss of an army.
3.
Defeat; as the loss of a battle.
4.
Waste; useless application; as a loss of time or labor.
5.
Waste by leakage or escape; as a loss of liquors in transportation.
To bear a loss, to make good; also, to sustain a loss without sinking under it.
To be at a loss, to be puzzled; to be unable to determine; to be in a state of uncertainty.

Definition 2024


loss

loss

See also: los, löss, and løss

English

Pronunciation

Noun

loss (countable and uncountable, plural losses)

  1. an instance of losing, such as a defeat
    The match ended in their first loss of the season.
  2. The result of an alteration in a function or characteristic of the body, or of its previous integrity.
    Loss of an arm ; loss of weight ; loss of cognitive functions ; loss of appetite.
  3. the hurtful condition of having lost something or someone, particularly in death.
    We mourn his loss.
  4. (in the plural) casualties, especially physically eliminated victims of violent conflict
    The battle was won, but losses were great.
  5. (financial) the sum an entity loses on balance
    The sum of expenditures and taxes minus total income is a loss, when this difference is positive.
  6. destruction, ruin
    It was a terrible crash: both cars were total losses
  7. (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
Usage notes
  • We often use make or take a loss. See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take
Antonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Related terms

Etymology 2

Eye dialect spelling of lost, representing African American Vernacular English.

Verb

loss

  1. (colloquial) Alternative spelling of lost

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: plan · pain · official · #940: loss · spot · wonderful · shook

Anagrams


Estonian

Etymology

From German Schloss.

Noun

loss (genitive lossi, partitive lossi)

  1. castle

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.


Swedish

Etymology

Related to lös

Adjective

loss

  1. loose, untied

Adverb

loss

  1. loosely