Use lose to when naming the opponent and lose in when naming the competition, game, or event.
Lose to introduces the person or team that wins against you. Lose in introduces the event or competition where the defeat happens.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
Use lose to with a person, team, company, or other opponent.
Use lose in with a game, round, election, or competition.
Use lose by to state the margin or score difference.
Lose against is also standard, especially in sport.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Use lose to or lose against before the name of the opponent.
✕ They lost in Spain. ✓ They lost to Spain.Use lose in before a competition or round.
✕ She lost to the final. ✓ She lost in the final.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Yes. Lose against is standard, especially in sports writing and speech.
Usually, yes. It refers to the situation or event where the defeat happened.
Yes. For example: We lost to Canada in the final.
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