lost the chance

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the sentence "lost the chance" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to express when someone has had an opportunity to do something, but it has passed them by. For example, "John had the chance to get the job, but he lost the chance when he showed up late for the interview."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

A generation has lost the chance for education".

The New York Times

"They lost the chance to make a bella figura," Conforti told me.

The New Yorker

So Canning lost the chance of being the peacemaker of Europe in 1815.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Not asking means you've lost the chance to influence the outcome.

Harvard Business Review

"We have lost the chance to change our society as we wanted to," she said.

The New York Times

Cook may have lost the chance to do her best next month.

The New York Times - Sports

Either way, he will have lost the chance to reinforce his standing elsewhere.

The New York Times

Haven't we now lost the chance to break the govts' unconsciousness with Wall St and are "implicitly guaranteeing" future crises?

The New Yorker

Embodied carbon and embodied energy results for the baseline turbine show that there is about 85% probability that the turbine manufacturers may have lost the chance to reduce carbon emissions, and 50% probability that they may have lost the chance to reduce the primary energy consumed during its manufacture.

Renewable Energy

They have also lost the chance for an education that could enable them to rebuild their lives.

The Guardian

Caitlin Agnew, 21, English and philosophy, Bristol They have lost the chance of ever getting voted in again.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "lost the chance" to clearly indicate that a specific opportunity was available but is now no longer accessible. Ensure the context makes it clear what the missed opportunity was and what the consequences are.

Common error

Avoid using "lost the chance" interchangeably with phrases that imply a continuous state of lacking something. "Lost the chance" refers to a specific missed opportunity, not a general absence of opportunity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "lost the chance" functions as a predicate in a sentence, indicating the action of missing out on a specific opportunity. Ludwig examples confirm its role in expressing a past failure to capitalize on something.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

59%

Science

22%

Academia

7%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "lost the chance" is a common and grammatically sound way to express that an opportunity was missed. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage and versatility across various contexts, particularly in news, scientific, and academic writing. While alternatives like "missed the opportunity" and "forfeited the opportunity" exist, "lost the chance" offers a balanced and widely understood way to convey regret or explanation about a missed possibility. To ensure clarity, specify the missed opportunity and its consequences. Avoid confusing it with phrases that imply a continuous lack of opportunity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

missed the opportunity

Replaces "chance" with "opportunity", emphasizing the availability of a favorable moment that was not seized.

forfeited the opportunity

Uses "forfeited" to suggest a more deliberate or consequential loss of the opportunity.

missed out on

An informal way to express the failure to take advantage of something beneficial.

failed to capitalize on

Implies a failure to exploit an advantage or resource that was available.

squandered the opportunity

Suggests that the opportunity was wasted carelessly or foolishly.

let the opportunity slip away

Emphasizes the passive nature of the loss, as if the opportunity vanished on its own.

blew the opportunity

An informal expression indicating a significant mistake or failure that resulted in the loss of the opportunity.

passed up the opportunity

Indicates a conscious decision, or neglect, not to pursue a certain opportunity.

left the opportunity behind

Implies that the chance was abandoned in favor of something else.

gave up the chance

Suggests a voluntary renunciation of the opportunity.

FAQs

What does "lost the chance" mean?

The phrase "lost the chance" signifies that an opportunity was available at some point but is no longer accessible or possible.

How can I use "lost the chance" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe situations where someone missed out on an opportunity. For example, "He "lost the chance" to speak because the meeting ended early."

What's a more formal way to say "lost the chance"?

A more formal way to express the same idea is "forfeited the opportunity" or "missed the opportunity".

What can I say instead of "lost the chance" if I want to emphasize a careless mistake?

If you want to emphasize a careless mistake, you could say "squandered the opportunity" or "blew the opportunity".