losses
losses — noun
- lossessingular
- lossesesplural
1. The state or fact of no longer possessing something you once had, or of having l
The state or fact of no longer possessing something you once had, or of having less of it than before — for example, losing your memory, your job, your hearing, or your hair.
Tara felt a sense of loss when her parents sold her childhood home.
collocation: sense of loss
The factory closure will mean job losses for over two hundred workers.
plural noun: job losses
Jin's hearing loss was caused by years of working near loud aircraft engines.
After the fire, the Wang family faced the loss of everything they owned.
Dr. Lin's bone density scan showed a gradual loss of calcium in her lower spine over the past three years.
- deprivation
More formal and suggests something was taken away unfairly, e.g. 'sleep deprivation'
- forfeiture
Legal term for losing something as a penalty, e.g. forfeiture of property
- gain
Refers to acquiring or increasing something, opposite of losing it
文法句型
loss + of + noun phrase
sense of loss
job losses / memory loss / hearing loss
用法筆記
Common before nouns describing something you can have less of: job loss, memory loss, hearing loss, weight loss, hair loss. The phrase a sense of loss describes the sad feeling that accompanies losing something important.
常見錯誤
2. The disadvantage or harmful effect that results when a skilled person leaves a p
The disadvantage or harmful effect that results when a skilled person leaves a place or when something valuable is no longer available.
Élise's retirement will be a great loss to the hospital she served for thirty years.
pattern: a + [adjective] + loss to + [place]
The loss of the town's only cinema has left teenagers nowhere to go on weekends.
After the head chef resigned, the restaurant felt his loss in the kitchen every day.
Hao called the loss of his research grant a serious setback for the whole project.
- disadvantage
More general; does not carry the emotional weight of loss
- detriment
More formal, often used in legal or written contexts
- asset
Something valuable that brings an advantage
文法句型
a loss to + noun phrase
it would be a loss if...
用法筆記
Usually used in the singular with a or possessive. The focus is on the negative consequence to a group or place, not on the person who left.
3. When a person dies, especially one who was close to you or important to a commun
When a person dies, especially one who was close to you or important to a community — the fact that they are no longer alive.
The whole street mourned the loss of the elderly woman who lived on the corner.
collocation: mourn the loss
Rachid never fully recovered from the loss of his older brother in the car accident.
Friends and colleagues gathered to mourn the loss of Dr. Okafor at the memorial service.
The loss of a fifteen-year-old student in the school bus crash affected the entire community in southern Taiwan for months.
- death
More direct and factual; loss is often preferred out of respect
- bereavement
Formal term for the period of grief after losing someone
文法句型
loss + of + person
suffer the loss of
用法筆記
Softer and more personal than death. When referring to someone's own relative, 'grief' or 'bereavement' may be more precise for the emotional experience; loss focuses on the fact of the person no longer being alive.
常見錯誤
4. The financial situation created when costs exceed revenue, or when the price rec
The financial situation created when costs exceed revenue, or when the price received for an item falls short of its original purchase price.
The airline reported a loss of sixty million dollars in the last financial quarter.
pattern: report a loss of + [amount]
After three years of losses, the small bakery finally started to make money.
plural: years of losses
Investors decided to cut their losses and sell the shares before the price fell further.
The electronics chain reported a third-quarter loss of two million dollars, its fourth unprofitable quarter in a row.
Otis calculated the loss from selling his apartment below what he had paid for it.
文法句型
report a loss
make a loss
suffer losses
cut your losses
用法筆記
Common in business and financial contexts. Contrast with profit. Phrases: net loss (after all costs are included), operating loss (from daily business activities), pre-tax loss (before tax is calculated). The investment expression 'cut your losses' means to stop putting more money into something that is failing.
常見錯誤
5. The result of being beaten by an opposing side in a game, sport, or competitive
The result of being beaten by an opposing side in a game, sport, or competitive event.
The basketball team had only one loss in their first twenty games of the season.
collocation: have / suffer a loss
Lucas took the chess tournament loss hard because he had trained for months.
The boxer's first professional loss came after twelve straight victories in the ring.
Vinícius blamed the team's loss on poor preparation and bad weather on match day.
- defeat
Emphasizes the act of being beaten rather than the fact of not winning
文法句型
suffer a loss
a loss to + [opponent]
... to ... loss
用法筆記
Countable — each loss is a single event. Often used with suffer or endure. In sports reporting, the score is often given as 'a 3–1 loss to [team]'. Distinguish from sense 4 (financial): a sports loss costs no money.
常見錯誤
6. The death of a group of people counted together in a single large-scale event —
The death of a group of people counted together in a single large-scale event — such as a war, a natural disaster, or a serious accident — measured as a number of fatalities rather than a personal bereavement.
The earthquake caused a terrible loss of life along the coastal towns of the region.
collocation: loss of life
Both sides suffered heavy losses during the battle for control of the port city.
plural: heavy losses
The ferry accident resulted in the loss of over a hundred passengers and crew members.
The hurricane caused heavy losses of life across the Caribbean islands, with entire fishing villages washed away.
- casualties
Includes both deaths and injuries; used in military and disaster reporting
- fatalities
Formal term for deaths, especially in accidents or official reports
文法句型
loss of life
suffer heavy losses
serious loss of life
用法筆記
The fixed phrase loss of life is uncountable and refers to the total number of deaths in an event. In military or disaster reporting, the plural losses counts individual deaths.
常見錯誤
7. A specific object, piece of property, or sum of money treated as a single lost u
A specific object, piece of property, or sum of money treated as a single lost unit — for instance, a stolen painting claimed on an insurance policy or a building destroyed beyond repair in a fire.
The warehouse fire was declared a total loss by the insurance company.
collocation: a total loss
Mia reported the loss of her passport to the embassy and filed a police report.
pattern: report the loss of + [item]
The stolen painting was considered a significant loss to the national art collection.
Tax rules let business owners claim the loss of flood-damaged equipment.
- casualty (insurance)
Insurance term for property that is lost or damaged in an accident
文法句型
a total loss
claim a loss
report a loss
用法筆記
Often used in insurance contexts, where a total loss means the item cannot be repaired or is worth less than the cost of repair. Also used in tax and legal contexts for property that is lost or destroyed.