Standard Lemma guide

lost

adj · verb · 18 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • lŏst
  • rhymes with -ɒst
  • Canada, Received-Pronunciation: /lɒst/
  • Canada: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard: /lɔst/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • South-Asia: /lɔsʈ/
  • lôst lot–cloth split
  • rhymes with -ɔːst
  • UK, dated: /lɔːst/
  • US: /lɔst/ without the cot–caught merger
  • läst father-bother merger
  • rhymes with -ɑːst
  • US, cot-caught-merger: /lɑst/
  • South-Asia: /lɑsʈ/
  • homophone: last (trap–bath split)
  • CMU ARPABET: L AO1 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having wandered from, or unable to find, the way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The children were soon lost in the forest.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

In an unknown location; unable to be found.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Deep beneath the ocean, the Titanic was lost to the world.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • an island lost in a fog; a person lost in a crowd

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Parted with; no longer held or possessed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a lost limb; lost honour

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit; no time should be lost

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Ruined or destroyed, either physically or morally; past help or hope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a ship lost at sea; a woman lost to virtue; a lost soul

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Hardened beyond sensibility or recovery; alienated; insensible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • lost to shame; lost to all sense of honour

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

Occupied with, or under the influence of, something, so as not to notice external things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to be lost in thought

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

simple past and past participle of lose

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective

Meaning 10

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a lost child
  • lost friends
  • his lost book
  • lost opportunities

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: found

11

adjective

Meaning 11

spiritually or physically doomed or destroyed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • lost souls
  • a lost generation
  • a lost ship
  • the lost platoon

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: saved

12

adjective

Meaning 12

not gained or won

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a lost battle
  • a lost prize

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: won

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

not caught with the senses or the mind

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • words lost in the din

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: missed

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

unable to function; without help

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: helpless

Antonyms: none provided

15

adjective satellite

Meaning 15

having lost your bearings; confused as to time or place or personal identity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I frequently find myself disoriented when I come up out of the subway
  • the anesthetic left her completely disoriented

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confused, disoriented

Antonyms: none provided

16

adjective satellite

Meaning 16

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • obviously bemused by his questions
  • bewildered and confused
  • a cloudy and confounded philosopher
  • just a mixed-up kid
  • she felt lost on the first day of school

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: baffled, befuddled, bemused, bewildered, confounded, confused, mazed, mixed-up, at sea

Antonyms: none provided

17

adjective satellite

Meaning 17

incapable of being recovered or regained

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his lost honor

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

people who are destined to die soon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the agony of the doomed was in his voice

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: doomed

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: people

History

Etymology

From Middle English loste, losede (preterite) and Middle English lost, ilost, ilosed (past participle), from Old English losode (preterite) and Old English losod, ġelosod, equivalent to lose + -t.

Across languages

Translations

128 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: humb — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: ضَائِع (ḍāʔiʕ) — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: مَفْقود (mafqud) — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: تايه (tāyeh) — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: ضايِع (ḍāyiʕ) — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: تايِه (tāyih) — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: مَفْقود (mafgūd) — unable to find one's way
  • Arabic: ضايِع (ḍāyiʕ) — unable to find one's way
  • Armenian: կորած (korac) — unable to find one's way
  • Armenian: մոլորված (molorvac) — unable to find one's way
  • Asturian: perdíu — unable to find one's way
  • Azerbaijani: azmış — unable to find one's way
  • Bulgarian: загубен (zaguben) — unable to find one's way
  • Catalan: perdut — unable to find one's way
  • Cherokee: ᎤᎴᎾᎯᏛ (ulenahidv) — unable to find one's way
  • Chinese Mandarin: 迷路 (mílù) — unable to find one's way
  • Czech: ztracený — unable to find one's way
  • Danish: vildfaren — unable to find one's way
  • Danish: faret vild — unable to find one's way
  • Esperanto: perdita — unable to find one's way
  • Finnish: eksynyt — unable to find one's way
  • Finnish: eksyksissä — unable to find one's way
  • French: perdu — unable to find one's way
  • Galician: perdido — unable to find one's way
  • German: verirrt — unable to find one's way
  • German: verloren — unable to find one's way
  • German: umher irrend — unable to find one's way
  • German: orientierungslos — unable to find one's way
  • Greek: χαμένος (chaménos) — unable to find one's way
  • Hebrew: אבוד (a'vud) — unable to find one's way
  • Hebrew: אבודה (a'vuda) — unable to find one's way
  • Hungarian: elveszett — unable to find one's way
  • Icelandic: týndur — unable to find one's way
  • Icelandic: villtur — unable to find one's way
  • Indonesian: tersesat — unable to find one's way
  • Irish: ar strae — unable to find one's way
  • Italian: perso — unable to find one's way
  • Khmer: វង្វេង (vɔɔvŭəngveing) — unable to find one's way
  • Korean: 길을 잃어버리다 (gireul ireobeorida) — unable to find one's way
  • Korean: 길을 잃다 (gireul ilta) — unable to find one's way
  • Latin: dēsīderārī — unable to find one's way
  • Latin: perditus — unable to find one's way
  • Malay: sesat — unable to find one's way
  • Malay: hilang — unable to find one's way
  • Brunei Malay: sasat — unable to find one's way
  • Māori: ngaro — unable to find one's way
  • Mirandese: perdidoso — unable to find one's way
  • Khiamniungan Naga: ūivā — unable to find one's way
  • Persian: مفقود (mafqud, mafghud) — unable to find one's way
  • Persian: گم (gom) — unable to find one's way
  • Polish: zagubiony — unable to find one's way
  • Portuguese: perdido — unable to find one's way
  • Romanian: pierdut — unable to find one's way
  • Russian: заблуди́вшийся (zabludívšijsja) — unable to find one's way
  • Sicilian: pirdutu — unable to find one's way
  • Spanish: perdido — unable to find one's way
  • Swedish: vilse — unable to find one's way
  • Turkish: kayıp — unable to find one's way
  • Turkish: yitik — unable to find one's way
  • Unami: aonkël — unable to find one's way
  • Unami: taonkël — unable to find one's way
  • Vietnamese: lạc — unable to find one's way
  • Armenian: կորած (korac) — in an unknown location
  • Armenian: կորուսյալ (korusyal) — in an unknown location
  • Bulgarian: изгу́бен (izgúben) — in an unknown location
  • Chinese Mandarin: 被遺失 /被遗失 (bèiyíshī) — in an unknown location
  • Danish: forsvundet — in an unknown location
  • Dutch: kwijt — in an unknown location
  • Esperanto: perdita — in an unknown location
  • Finnish: kadonnut — in an unknown location
  • Finnish: kadoksissa — in an unknown location
  • Finnish: hukassa — in an unknown location
  • French: perdu — in an unknown location
  • German: verschollen — in an unknown location
  • German: verloren — in an unknown location
  • German: verirrt — in an unknown location
  • Greek: χαμένος (chaménos) — in an unknown location
  • Icelandic: týndur — in an unknown location
  • Irish: caillte — in an unknown location
  • Italian: perso — in an unknown location
  • Italian: smarrito — in an unknown location
  • Latin: āmissus — in an unknown location
  • Latin: dēsīderārī — in an unknown location
  • Brunei Malay: ilang — in an unknown location
  • Māori: ngaro — in an unknown location
  • Khiamniungan Naga: ūivā — in an unknown location
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tapt — in an unknown location
  • Persian: مفقود (mafqud) — in an unknown location
  • Persian: گم (gom) — in an unknown location
  • Polish: zagubiony — in an unknown location
  • Portuguese: perdido — in an unknown location
  • Portuguese: extraviado — in an unknown location
  • Russian: поте́рянный (potérjannyj) — in an unknown location
  • Russian: расте́рянный (rastérjannyj) — in an unknown location
  • Russian: пропа́вший (propávšij) — in an unknown location
  • Spanish: perdido — in an unknown location
  • Turkish: kayıp — in an unknown location
  • Turkish: yitik — in an unknown location
  • Vietnamese: thất lạc — in an unknown location
  • Finnish: kadonnut — not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
  • German: unauffindbar — not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
  • Malay: hilang — not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
  • Malay: lenyap — not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
  • Russian: пропа́вший из ви́ду (propávšij iz vídu) — not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
  • Russian: исче́знувший из по́ля зре́ния (isčéznuvšij iz pólja zrénija) — not perceptible to the senses; no longer visible
  • Bulgarian: загубен (zaguben) — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • Finnish: menetetty — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • Finnish: hukattu — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • German: verloren — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • German: verlustig — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • German: weg — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • German: -los — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • Malay: hilang — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • Polish: stracony — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • Russian: утра́ченный (utráčennyj) — parted with; no longer held or possessed
  • Finnish: hukattu — not employed or enjoyed; thrown away
  • German: rausgeschmissen — not employed or enjoyed; thrown away
  • German: rausgeworfen — not employed or enjoyed; thrown away
  • Finnish: kadonnut — ruined or destroyed
  • Finnish: kadotettu — ruined or destroyed
  • Malay: binasa — ruined or destroyed
  • Russian: погибший (pogibšij) — ruined or destroyed
  • Russian: падший (padšij) — ruined or destroyed
  • Russian: пропадший (propadšij) — ruined or destroyed
  • Russian: разбитый (razbityj) — ruined or destroyed
  • Finnish: paatunut — hardened beyond sensibility or recovery
  • Finnish: uppoutunut — occupied with, or under the influence of, something
  • Russian: погружённый (pogružónnyj) — occupied with, or under the influence of, something