Definition of: loss

(lôs, los) noun
1. The act or state of losing; failure to keep or win; privation: loss of fortune or friends.
2. Usually plural That which is lost, or its amount: His losses were great; The losses of the army were severe.
3. The state of being lost, or of having suffered destruction: the loss of a ship at sea.
4. Useless application; futile expenditure; waste.
5. Injury or diminution of value within the limits provided in an insurance policy, or the sum payable on that account.
6. Physics That part of electrical or mechanical energy which is expended in overcoming friction, etc., and from which no productive work is obtained.
—at a loss
1. At so low a price as to result in a loss.
2. In confusion or doubt; perplexed.
—dead loss An irremediable loss; one without hope of salvage, insurance, or any mitigation.
—to bear a loss
1. To sustain a loss bravely.
2. To make good a loss. [OE los] Synonyms: damage, defeat, deprivation, destruction, detriment, disadvantage, failure, forfeiture, injury, misfortune, privation, waste. See INJURY.