đánh mất

Tôi đánh mất chìa khóa nhà của mình.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To lose (involuntarily): To cease to have or possess something, typically through carelessness, accident, or misplacement, with a sense of regret or negative consequence.
   • To forfeit / to squander: To cause the loss or deprivation of something abstract, such as an opportunity, trust, or a quality.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Tôi đã đánh mất chìa khóa. (I have lost my keys.)
  • Cô ấy đánh mất cơ hội việc làm tốt. (She lost a good job opportunity.)
  • Hành động đó khiến anh đánh mất lòng tin của mọi người. (That action caused him to lose everyone's trust.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often implies a sense of fault, negligence, or irreversible consequence, distinguishing it from the more neutral "mất" (to lose). It emphasizes the action or process leading to the loss.

Variants and Related Words

• Mất (v): to lose, to be missing. A more general and neutral term for loss.

  • Tôi bị mất ví. (I lost my wallet.)

• Làm mất (v): to cause the loss of something. Similar to "đánh mất" but can sometimes sound slightly less severe.

  • Ai đã làm mất sách của tôi? (Who caused my book to go missing?)

Synonyms

• Lose: To be deprived of or cease to have.
• Forfeit: To lose or give up as a penalty.
• Squander: To waste something valuable.

Related Idioms

• Đánh mất bản thân / đánh mất chính mình: To lose oneself (e.g., one's identity, way, or moral compass).
  • Anh ấy đã đánh mất chính mình trong danh vọng. (He lost himself in fame.)