Phrase guide

at a loss for words

prep_phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

Having nothing to say; not knowing what to say; stunned to the point of being speechless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • She was at a loss for words when she saw the number of people who had come to grieve for her husband.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: quedar-se sense paraules — having nothing to say
  • Dutch: sprakeloos — having nothing to say
  • Finnish: mennä sanattomaksi — having nothing to say
  • Finnish: mykistyä — having nothing to say
  • French: bouche bée — having nothing to say
  • Isan: เบิดคําสิเว้า (bə̀ət-kam-sì-wáo) — having nothing to say
  • Japanese: 言葉に詰まる (kotoba ni tsumaru) — having nothing to say
  • Japanese: 言葉に出来ない (kotoba ni dekinai) — having nothing to say
  • Polish: brak słów — having nothing to say
  • Spanish: corchado — having nothing to say
  • Thai: หมดคําจะพูด (mòt-kam-jà-pûut) — having nothing to say
  • Thai: พูดไม่ออก (pûut-mâi-ɔ̀ɔk) — having nothing to say