"lose to" vs "lose against"

Question

"lose to" vs "lose against"

Both 'lose to' and 'lose against' are commonly used in English, but 'lose to' is more widely accepted and used. 'Lose to' is the preferred phrase when talking about being defeated by someone or something. 'Lose against' is also correct but less common.

Last Updated: March 24, 2024

Use 'lose to' when describing a situation where someone or something is defeated by another person or team.

Examples:

We lost to the opposing team in the final match.
She always loses to her brother in chess.
The company lost to its competitors in the market share battle.

Alternatives:

be defeated by
fall to
suffer defeat to
be bested by

While 'lose against' is correct, 'lose to' is the more commonly used phrase in English.

Examples:

The team lost against their rivals in the championship game.
He always loses against his older brother in arm wrestling.

Alternatives:

be defeated by
fall to
suffer defeat to
be bested by

Answer 1

lose to

Correct. 'Lose to' is widely used when referring to being defeated by someone or something.

Answer 2

lose against

Correct but less common. 'Lose against' is used to indicate being defeated by someone or something, but 'lose to' is more widely accepted.

"lose to" vs "lose against"

lose to

lose against

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