Lost | Mean of lost in English Dictionary

• unable to be found
1. He was looking for his lost keys.
2. lost baggage/luggage
3. Many have tried to find the ruins of the lost city.
• not knowing where you are or how to get to where you want to go
1. The child was lost.
2. We took a wrong turn and got lost.
3. a lost puppy
4. Hold my hand. I don't want you to get lost.
• no longer held, owned, or possessed
1. He has been trying to recapture his lost youth.
2. She's been lagging at the polls, but hopes to recover/recoup lost ground with tonight's debate. [=she hopes to gain again support she had lost]

• no longer known
1. a lost civilization
2. It's a lost art.
3. The original music is lost to us forever.
• no longer available
1. a lost opportunity/chance [=an opportunity that was not used]
2. The strike has cost the company millions in lost sales/earnings/revenue. [=sales/earnings/revenue that the company would have had if the strike had not happened]
3. We need to work faster to make up for lost time. [=we need to work faster because we did not get enough of the work done before now]
• not won
1. a lost battle
2. The game was irretrievably/hopelessly lost by the end of the first half.
• not capable of succeeding
1. Finishing the project on time seemed like a lost cause. [=finishing the project on time seemed impossible]
• lacking confidence and feeling unsure of what to do
1. When she first moved to the city she felt a bit lost and out of her depth.
2. I don't know how I ever managed without my computer: I'd be totally lost without it!
3. I depend on her for everything. I'd be lost without her.
• very unhappy
1. a lost soul [=a lonely and unhappy person]
• so interested in something that you do not notice other things
1. When he's reading a book he's lost to the world.
2. He was lost in his book.
3. She was lost in thought. [=she was thinking about something and not noticing the people and things around her]
4. He seems to be lost in a world of his own.
5. lost in (a) reverie
• to go away
• to decide that someone cannot be helped or saved
1. He was desperately ill, and most of the doctors had given him up for lost. [=most of the doctors said that he would die]
• unable to think of anything to say
1. I was so surprised to see her that I was lost for words. [=(chiefly US) at a loss for words]
• not appreciated or understood by (someone)
1. The jokes were lost on me. [=I didn't understand the jokes]
2. The meaning of her remark wasn't lost on him.
3. The message was lost on those for whom it was intended.