has been lost

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the sentence "has been lost" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to something that has been missing or gone for an unspecified amount of time. For example: "The key to the safe has been lost for many years."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

What has been lost?

The New York Times

Nothing has been lost.

The New Yorker

Some momentum has been lost.

The Economist

"But that has been lost".

The New York Times

But to Davidson, something has been lost.

The New York Times

The context has been lost, though.

The New Yorker

But the recipe has been lost.

Independent

Nothing has been lost in translation.

The New York Times

France has been lost to us.

Independent

(Nearly 13% has been lost since 2001).

The Economist

(George Balanchine's original choreography has been lost).

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "has been lost" to describe something that is missing and likely unrecoverable, whether tangible or intangible. For example, "The opportunity has been lost."

Common error

While "has been lost" is generally acceptable, avoid overuse in highly formal writing. Consider more precise synonyms like "is forfeited" or "is irretrievable" for greater clarity and impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "has been lost" functions as a passive voice construction within a sentence, indicating that something or someone is missing, irrecoverable, or no longer available. Ludwig AI confirms this usage. It is commonly used to express a state resulting from a past action.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

61%

Science

20%

Wiki

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

4%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "has been lost" is a common and grammatically sound way to express that something is missing or irrecoverable. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is correct and usable in written English. It appears frequently in news articles, scientific publications, and general-purpose websites like Wikipedia. While its neutral register makes it suitable for many contexts, more formal alternatives might be preferred in specific academic or professional writing. Remembering practical tips, you can use alternatives such as "is gone" or "has disappeared", and avoid overusing "has been lost" in highly formal content to ensure clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

is gone

Offers a simpler, more direct way of expressing the absence of something.

is no longer available

Indicates a loss of accessibility or presence, shifting focus from the object itself to its current status.

is no more

A more emphatic way of saying something no longer exists or is available.

has disappeared

Emphasizes the sudden or mysterious nature of the loss.

has vanished

Suggests a complete and often inexplicable disappearance.

is irretrievable

Highlights the impossibility of recovering what was lost, focusing on the permanence of the loss.

is unrecoverable

Similar to "is irretrievable", but may suggest a process or effort to recover was attempted and failed.

has slipped away

Implies a gradual or subtle loss, often of something intangible like an opportunity or a memory.

is forfeited

Implies a loss due to a rule, error, or consequence, indicating a different type of loss.

is depleted

Refers to a loss in quantity or resources, rather than a complete disappearance.

FAQs

How can I use "has been lost" in a sentence?

You can use "has been lost" to describe something that is missing or irrecoverable, such as "The key "has been lost"", or "The opportunity "has been lost"".

What are some alternatives to saying "has been lost"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "is gone", "has disappeared", or "is irretrievable" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "was lost" instead of "has been lost"?

Both are grammatically correct, but they have slightly different meanings. "Was lost" implies a single event in the past, while "has been lost" implies a state that began in the past and continues to the present, indicating it is still missing.

What's the difference between "has been lost" and "is lost"?

"Has been lost" implies something was lost at some point in the past and remains lost. "Is lost" describes the current state of something, which may or may not imply a past event. For example, "The child is lost" suggests they are currently missing, whereas "The child has been lost for three days" indicates they went missing three days ago and remain missing.