lost

/lɒst/ (bre, ipa) · /lɔːst/ (ame, ipa)

lost — 形容詞

  • lostpositive
  • lostercomparative
  • lostestsuperlative

1. Unable to tell your present location or find the right route to the place you wa

1.形容詞B1
釋義

迷路的

找不到方向或路徑的

Unable to tell your present location or find the right route to the place you want to reach.

例句

Takeshi realized he was lost when the forest trail split into three paths.

Takeshi 發現自己迷路了，因為森林小徑分成了三條岔路。

be/get lost — physical disorientation

The lost child sat quietly at the mall information desk while the staff called her parents.

迷路的孩子安靜地坐在購物中心服務台，而工作人員正在打電話給她的父母。

lost + noun (attributive)

同義詞
  • 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'

反義詞
  • 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

❌I am losing in the forest.
✅I am lost in the forest.
💡'losing' is the continuous form of the verb 'lose'; for the state of not knowing your way, use the adjective 'lost'.

2. No longer where it belongs or where you expect it to be, even after you search f

2.形容詞B1
釋義

遺失的

找不到的，不在應有位置的

No longer where it belongs or where you expect it to be, even after you search for it.

例句

Adina searched everywhere for her lost keys but finally found them under the sofa.

Adina 到處尋找她遺失的鑰匙，最後在沙發底下找到了。

lost + noun — describing object that cannot be found

The museum put up a notice about a lost painting worth over two million dollars.

博物館張貼了一則公告，尋找一幅價值超過兩百萬美元的遺失畫作。

同義詞
  • missing

    the most common alternative; preferred for people and objects

  • misplaced

    less serious — implies it will probably be found

  • vanished

    stronger, suggests disappearance without explanation

反義詞
  • found

    opposite state for objects or people

  • recovered

    implies something was found after being lost

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

❌I lost my wallet' (when describing the current state).
✅My wallet is lost.' or 'My wallet is missing.
💡The first sentence describes the action of dropping it; the second describes the current state of being unable to find it.

3. Feeling unsure about what to do or how to behave because the situation is unfami

3.形容詞B2
釋義

不知所措的

感到困惑、不知該如何是好的

Feeling unsure about what to do or how to behave because the situation is unfamiliar or difficult.

例句

After the company closed, Tomás felt lost and did not know where to find work.

公司倒閉後，Tomás 感到不知所措，不知道該去哪裡找工作。

feel lost — emotional/mental state

The new student looked lost on her first day, unable to find any of her classrooms.

新來的学生第一天看起來不知所措，一間教室都找不到。

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • confident

    the direct opposite in terms of knowing what to do

  • certain

    suggests clarity about what action to take

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

❌I am lost of what to do.
✅I am lost about what to do.' or 'I feel lost.
💡Use 'about', not 'of', when specifying the source of confusion.

4. So deeply focused on one activity, thought, or experience that the world around

4.形容詞B2
釋義

入迷的

全神貫注以至於忽略周遭事物的

So deeply focused on one activity, thought, or experience that the world around you fades from your awareness.

例句

Élise was so lost in her novel that she did not hear the dinner bell ring.

Élise 看小說看到入迷，連晚餐鈴響都沒聽見。

be lost in + (book/music/thought)

The painter sat lost in thought, staring at the blank canvas for almost an hour.

畫家陷入沉思，盯著空白的畫布將近一個小時。

同義詞
  • absorbed

    less poetic, more neutral in register

  • engrossed

    similar intensity but slightly more formal

  • immersed

    suggests being deeply involved, often in an activity

反義詞
  • 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

❌He was lost in read a book.
✅He was lost in a book.
💡Use a noun phrase after 'lost in', not a verb.

5. In a situation that cannot succeed or be saved; certain to end in failure or des

5.形容詞C1
釋義

無望的

註定失敗或無法挽回的

In a situation that cannot succeed or be saved; certain to end in failure or destruction.

例句

Without food or clean water, the sailors on the small boat were lost at sea.

小船上的水手沒有食物也沒有乾淨的水，在海上註定無法生還。

be lost — beyond rescue

The lawyer told her client that the lawsuit was a lost cause from the very beginning.

律師告訴她的當事人，這場官司從一開始就是一件不可能成功的事。

lost cause — common fixed expression

同義詞
反義詞
  • 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

❌The match is losing.' (meaning the team will certainly lose).
✅The match is a lost cause.
💡Use the adjective 'lost' for hopeless situations, not the continuous verb form.

6. Not used in a good or effective way; no longer available to be taken advantage o

6.形容詞B2
釋義

錯失的

未充分利用或再也無法獲得的

Not used in a good or effective way; no longer available to be taken advantage of or gained.

例句

Takeshi regretted the lost opportunity to study abroad when he was younger.

Takeshi 後悔年輕時錯過了出國留學的機會。

lost opportunity — common collocation

The three-hour meeting was lost time for everyone who had urgent work to finish.

那場三小時的會議對每個有緊急工作要完成的人來說都是浪費時間。

同義詞
  • wasted

    more direct and common; makes the value judgement explicit

  • missed

    softer, focuses on absence rather than poor use

  • forfeited

    formal; suggests something was given up or taken away

反義詞
  • gained

    opposite — obtained or achieved something of value

  • used

    opposite — put to good purpose

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.

常見錯誤

❌I lost my time watching TV.
✅I wasted my time watching TV.' or 'That hour watching TV was lost time.
💡'Lost time' describes the state of time that was not used well; 'waste' is the verb for the action.