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
The full order for picks 19-32 will be decided by playoff results — teams eliminated in the wild-card round will be placed into slots 19-24; divisional-round losers will hold picks 25-28, and so on.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Dominic Tierney is an expert on losers—in the best possible way.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
The Ravens battled the Pittsburgh Steelers in a crucial division matchup, where the winner would be crowned AFC North champs and punch its ticket into the postseason, while the loser would be sent packing.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Winners govern, and losers complain on social media.
—Paul Miller, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for loser
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.
Cite this Entry
“Loser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loser. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share