lose heart

verb

To despair; to experience reduced morale; to become disheartened.

Opposite
take heart
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Meanings

verblose heart (third-person singular simple present loses heart, present participle losing heart, simple past and past participle lost heart)

present singular third person loses heart · participle present losing heart · participle past lost heart · past lost heart

  1. idiomaticTo despair; to experience reduced morale; to become disheartened.

    There's nothing so humbling as being a dunce in a foreign tongue, and if it weren't for her compassion, we'd have lost heart after two weeks.

    2008, Sue Grafton, J is for Judgment, page 159

    Antonyms: take heart

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo despair; to experience reduced morale; to become disheartened.

Opposite
take heart

Translations

Ancient Greek ἀθυμέω, ἐκκακέω
  • ἀθυμέω (athuméō)to despair
  • ἐκκακέω (ekkakéō)to despair
Arabic يَئِسَ, أُحْبِطَ
  • يَئِسَ (yaʔisa)to despair
  • أُحْبِطَ (ʔuḥbiṭa)to despair
Chinese Mandarin 灰心
  • 灰心 (huīxīn)to despair
Finnish tulla epätoivoiseksi, vaipua epätoivoon
  • tulla epätoivoiseksito despair
  • vaipua epätoivoonto despair
French désespérer, se décourager
  • désespérerto despair
  • se découragerto despair
German den Mut verlieren
  • den Mut verlierento despair
Hungarian elkedvetlenedik, elcsügged
  • elkedvetlenedikto despair
  • elcsüggedto despair
  • elbátortalanodikto despair
  • elszontyolodikto despair
Italian accasciarsi, disperarsi
  • accasciarsito despair
  • disperarsito despair
  • abbattersito despair
  • scoraggiarsito despair
  • sfiduciarsito despair
Māori takarure, tārure
  • takarureto despair
  • tārureto despair
Romanian se descuraja
  • se descurajato despair
Russian па́дать ду́хом, упа́сть ду́хом
  • па́дать ду́хом (pádatʹ dúxom)to despair
  • упа́сть ду́хом (upástʹ dúxom)to despair
  • отча́иваться (otčáivatʹsja)to despair
  • отча́яться (otčájatʹsja)to despair
  • опуска́ть ру́ки (opuskátʹ rúki)to despair
  • опусти́ть ру́ки (opustítʹ rúki)to despair
Spanish desesperarse, desanimarse
  • desesperarseto despair
  • desanimarseto despair
Thai ย่อท้อ
  • ย่อท้อto despair
Vietnamese nản lòng
  • nản lòngto despair
Welsh digalonni
  • digalonnito despair
Yiddish אַראָפּפֿאַלן בײַ זיך
  • אַראָפּפֿאַלן בײַ זיך (aropfaln bay zikh)to despair
Cite this entry
APA

lose heart. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lose%20heart

MLA

“lose heart.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lose%20heart. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lose heart,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lose%20heart.

Source: lose heart on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.