losing

adjective

los·​ing ˈlü-ziŋ How to pronounce losing (audio)
1
: resulting in or likely to result in defeat
a losing battle
a losing poker hand
2
: marked by many losses or more losses than wins
a losing streak
a losing record

Examples of losing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the losing end of Wall Street was Deere, which fell 5.2% even though the maker of agricultural equipment’s profit for the latest quarter topped expectations. Stan Choe, Fortune, 16 Feb. 2024 Utley also hit five home runs in a losing effort against the New York Yankees in the World Series the following year. Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2024 On the losing end of Wall Street were several financial companies that reported weaker results for the end of 2023 than analysts expected. Stan Choe, Fortune, 18 Jan. 2024 In the present, the group fought and clawed — albeit in a losing effort — against a scrappy Commodores squad. Ryan Black, The Courier-Journal, 2 Mar. 2023 Benchmark Treasury notes are headed for their third losing year in a row, which has never happened. WSJ, 21 Sep. 2023 On the losing end of Wall Street was Moderna, which saw its shares fall 6.5% after reporting a much worse loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Stan Choe The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2023 September, with a difficult schedule that featured 20 games versus the AL East and four against the soon-to-be World Series-champion Houston Astros, was the club’s first losing month since May. Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 4 Sep. 2023 Overall, a late-afternoon fade left stocks modestly lower Thursday as Wall Street closed out its first losing month since February. al, 1 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'losing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of losing was in 1519

Dictionary Entries Near losing

Cite this Entry

“Losing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/losing. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

losing

adjective
1
: resulting in or likely to result in defeat
a losing battle
2
: marked by many losses or more losses than wins
a losing record
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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