What's the past tense of "lose"?
The simple past tense of lose is lost, and the past participle is also lost. Use lost for both simple past and past participle forms.
Definition of lose
The Oxford English Dictionary defines lose as "to be deprived of or cease to have or retain something; to fail to win; to be unable to find." It's used in both literal and figurative senses, from losing objects to losing games.
- The past tense of lose is lost.
- The past participle of lose is lost.
Verb forms of 'lose'
Note: We avoid the past continuous (was + losing) with stative verbs, since these verbs have no clear start or finish as dynamic verbs do. Stative verbs (which represents mental processes, feelings, or internal states of existence), use the simple past conjugation or past perfect tenses or aspects.
Is "lose" a regular or irregular verb?
Note: Regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense. Any other verb ending is considered irregular.
While an irregular verb, 'lose' shows a highly common verb-conjugation pattern. Similar to other verbs like choose/chose/chosen, break/broke/broken, and speak/spoke/spoken, lose uses one form for all past tenses (and in the present perfect).
When to use "lost" (past) vs. "lost" (participle)
She lost her keys yesterday.
I have never lost my way in this city.
The participle form of a verb (shown in the second sentence) uses the auxiliary verb have as a contraction, I've.
When auxiliaries like have or had appear in the same sentence as a past participle verb form, this indicates that the verb's aspect is in the present or past perfect, and not the simple past tense.
Remember, a participle always uses a helper verb to form the complete tense or aspect. Simple tenses, on the other hand, can stand on their own.
Similar irregular verbs
While an irregular verb, 'lose' shows a highly common verb-conjugation pattern. Similar to other verbs like choose/chose/chosen, break/broke/broken, and speak/spoke/spoken, lose uses one form for all past tenses (and in the present perfect).
Sentence examples: lose, lost, lost
• I lose my keys frequently.
• She loses her temper easily.
• They lose their way in the city.
• He lost the staring contest.
• My favorite team lost to some amateurs.
• I lost myself in the soft music.
• I have lost my way before.
• No one was at the party because they had all gotten lost.
• He couldn't stand thinking about all he had lost.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for lose
Nearby phrases
Origin of the word/verb lose
Old English losian “be lost, perish,” from los “destruction, loss”. The Germanic word is from PIE *leus-, an extended form of root *leu- “to loosen, divide, cut apart.
Practice: 'Lose' conjugations
She ______ her keys somewhere between the car and the front door.
He had ______ all hope until he saw the rescue boat.
He always ______ his patience when he has to wait in a long line.
The team is ______ the game by a wide margin.
Try not to ______ your focus during the final part of the exam.
FAQs
What's the past tense of "lose"?
Is "lose" a regular or irregular verb?
Is "losed" ever correct?
How is past participle "lost" used?
How is simple past "lost" used?
Sources
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Oxford English Dictionary. "lose, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
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Cambridge Dictionary. "lose." Cambridge University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
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