loss

[ laws, los ]
/ lɔs, lɒs /

noun

Idioms for loss

    at a loss,
    1. at less than cost; at a financial loss.
    2. in a state of bewilderment or uncertainty; puzzled; perplexed: We are completely at a loss for an answer to the problem.

Origin of loss

before 900; Middle English; Old English los destruction; cognate with Old Norse los looseness, breaking up. See lose, loose

OTHER WORDS FROM loss

pre·loss, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH loss

loose loosen lose loss

British Dictionary definitions for at a loss

loss
/ (lɒs) /

noun

Word Origin for loss

C14: noun probably formed from lost, past participle of losen to perish, from Old English lōsian to be destroyed, from los destruction

Idioms and Phrases with at a loss (1 of 2)

at a loss

1

Below cost, as in The store was doing so badly that it was selling merchandise at a loss.

2

Puzzled, perplexed, in a state of uncertainty, as in When his letters were returned unopened, John was at a loss as to what to do next. This usage was originally applied to hounds who had lost the scent or track of their prey. [Mid-1600s]

3

at a loss for words. Unable or uncertain as to what to say. For example, Father's tirade left us all at a loss for words. [Late 1600s]

Idioms and Phrases with at a loss (2 of 2)

loss

see at a loss; cut one's losses; dead loss.