A loss is something valuable that you no longer have. When your team loses a soccer game, that's a loss. When you can't find your favorite book, that's a loss too. The word captures that feeling of missing something that mattered to you.

Losses come in many forms. Losing a game means your team didn't win. Losing money means you have less than you started with. Losing a pet or saying goodbye to someone you love brings sadness because that connection has ended. Some losses are small and temporary, like losing your place in a book. Others are profound and permanent, like when someone dies.

The word also describes the gap between what you have and what you had. A business operating at a loss spends more money than it makes. A football team might win by a wide margin or lose by just three points.

People experience loss differently. Some losses sting for a moment and fade quickly. Others take time to accept and process. Something becomes a loss because it mattered in the first place. The depth of a loss often reflects how much value it held in your life.