loser

noun

los·​er ˈlü-zər How to pronounce loser (audio)
1
: a person or thing that loses especially consistently
The team had a reputation for being a loser year after year.
2
: a person who is incompetent or unable to succeed
Don't waste your time on that loser.
also : something doomed to fail or disappoint
his position is a loser politically Fred Barnes

Examples of loser in a Sentence

The team had a reputation for being a loser year after year. The loser of the bet has to buy drinks for the winner. Whoever benefits from the new government programs, the real loser will be the American taxpayer. That guy is a born loser.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our doctrine holds that money losers don’t belong in your portfolio. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025 Where are the winners and losers of the coming great climate migration? Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025 The expectation has always been that last year’s play-off losers would hit the front in 2024-25, but Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland have clung on until now. Beren Cross, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025 Whenever there is a changing of the guard, the winners get to take a victory lap while the losers regroup. Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for loser 

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of loser was in 1548

Dictionary Entries Near loser

Cite this Entry

“Loser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loser. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.

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