lost
/lɒst/ (bre, ipa) · /lɔːst/ (ame, ipa)
lost — adjective
- lostpositive
- lostercomparative
- lostestsuperlative
1. Unable to tell your present location or find the right route to the place you wa
Unable to tell your present location or find the right route to the place you want to reach.
Takeshi realized he was lost when the forest trail split into three paths.
be/get lost — physical disorientation
The lost child sat quietly at the mall information desk while the staff called her parents.
lost + noun (attributive)
Nia asked a stranger for directions after her phone died and she felt completely lost.
Walking without a map in the old town, Christopher became lost among the narrow winding streets.
The group checked their compass before sunset to avoid getting lost on the mountain trail.
- disoriented
more formal, suggests confusion about direction or time
- off course
usually about vehicles or journeys, not people
- astray
literary or formal; often used with 'go astray'
- found
the direct opposite when physically located
文法句型
be/get lost
lost + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used with the verbs 'get', 'become', or 'feel'. When used attributively before a noun (e.g. 'lost child'), it describes someone whose location is unknown.
常見錯誤
2. No longer where it belongs or where you expect it to be, even after you search f
No longer where it belongs or where you expect it to be, even after you search for it.
Adina searched everywhere for her lost keys but finally found them under the sofa.
lost + noun — describing object that cannot be found
The museum put up a notice about a lost painting worth over two million dollars.
A lost wallet was handed in to the front desk with all the cash still inside.
Salma felt a wave of panic when she spotted the lost luggage tag at the airport.
The library charges a replacement fee for lost books that are not returned.
文法句型
lost + noun
be lost
go missing (common idiomatic phrase)
用法筆記
Use 'go missing' (chiefly British) or 'turn up missing' (American) when describing the moment something is noticed as lost. For people who cannot be found, 'missing' is more common than 'lost' (except for children).
常見錯誤
3. Feeling unsure about what to do or how to behave because the situation is unfami
Feeling unsure about what to do or how to behave because the situation is unfamiliar or difficult.
After the company closed, Tomás felt lost and did not know where to find work.
feel lost — emotional/mental state
The new student looked lost on her first day, unable to find any of her classrooms.
When the manager changed all the rules overnight, the whole team felt lost and confused.
Bao stood in the middle of the busy station, feeling lost without his travel companion.
Elderly people sometimes feel lost when technology changes faster than they can learn it.
- confused
overlaps but 'confused' is more about not understanding ideas; 'lost' is more about not knowing what to do
- bewildered
stronger and more formal; suggests complete confusion
- helpless
focuses on inability to act without help
文法句型
feel lost
be lost + about/in
用法筆記
This sense overlaps with 'confused' but is broader: 'lost' suggests not knowing what step to take next, while 'confused' focuses on not understanding ideas or facts. Commonly followed by 'about' or 'without'.
常見錯誤
4. So deeply focused on one activity, thought, or experience that the world around
So deeply focused on one activity, thought, or experience that the world around you fades from your awareness.
Élise was so lost in her novel that she did not hear the dinner bell ring.
be lost in + (book/music/thought)
The painter sat lost in thought, staring at the blank canvas for almost an hour.
Ramón became lost in the music, tapping his foot without noticing the crowded room.
Little Pedro was lost in a world of dinosaurs, completely ignoring his lunch on the table.
Ritu was so lost in her phone that she walked right past her bus stop.
- distracted
opposite — attention split across multiple things
- alert
opposite — fully aware of surroundings
文法句型
be lost in + noun
get lost in + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used in the pattern 'lost in + noun' — the noun is the thing absorbing attention (a book, thought, memory, music, conversation). This sense is never used attributively (not 'a lost reader').
常見錯誤
5. In a situation that cannot succeed or be saved; certain to end in failure or des
In a situation that cannot succeed or be saved; certain to end in failure or destruction.
Without food or clean water, the sailors on the small boat were lost at sea.
be lost — beyond rescue
The lawyer told her client that the lawsuit was a lost cause from the very beginning.
lost cause — common fixed expression
After the fire destroyed all their equipment, the family business was lost beyond recovery.
The rescue team refused to give up on the trapped miners whom others had called lost.
Historians consider the ancient manuscript a lost treasure that may never be found again.
- doomed
stronger sense of fate; more dramatic
- hopeless
more common, less formal
- irrecoverable
very formal, used mainly in writing
- safe
opposite in terms of being beyond danger
- salvageable
opposite — capable of being saved
文法句型
be lost
lost + noun (doomed entity)
用法筆記
Frequently found in the fixed phrase 'a lost cause' (a plan or effort that cannot succeed). Also common in contexts of death or destruction — 'lost at sea', 'lost to the world'. Used attributively ('lost soul', 'lost generation') for people or groups beyond hope.
常見錯誤
6. Not used in a good or effective way; no longer available to be taken advantage o
Not used in a good or effective way; no longer available to be taken advantage of or gained.
Takeshi regretted the lost opportunity to study abroad when he was younger.
lost opportunity — common collocation
The three-hour meeting was lost time for everyone who had urgent work to finish.
After the power cut, the chef mourned the lost ingredients that had spoiled in the fridge.
Adina tried to make up for lost time by practising the violin for four hours every day.
A minute spent waiting in line feels like a lost minute that could be used better.
文法句型
lost + noun (opportunity/time)
make up for lost time
用法筆記
Commonly modifies nouns like 'time', 'opportunity', 'chance', 'income', 'revenue'. The fixed phrase 'make up for lost time' means to do something more intensely after a period of not doing it. Distinguish from sense 5 (DOOMED): here the focus is on missed potential, not on destruction or hopelessness.