loss
     n 1: the act of losing; "everyone expected him to win so his loss
          was a shock"
     2: something that is lost; "the car was a total loss"; "loss of
        livestock left the rancher bankrupt"
     3: the amount by which the cost of a business exceeds its
        revenue; "the company operated at a loss last year"; "the
        company operated in the red last year" [syn: {red ink}, {red}]
        [ant: {gain}]
     4: gradual decline in amount or activity; "weight loss"; "a
        serious loss of business"
     5: the disadvantage that results from losing something; "his
        loss of credibility led to his resignation"; "losing him
        is no great deprivation" [syn: {deprivation}]
     6: military personnel lost by death or capture [syn: {personnel
        casualty}]
     7: the experience of losing a loved one; "he sympathized on the
        loss of their grandfather"
     8: euphemistic expressions for death; "thousands mourned his
        passing" [syn: {passing}, {departure}, {exit}, {expiration},
         {going}, {release}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0

loss n. Something (not a person) that loses; a situation in which
   something is losing. Emphatic forms include `moby loss', and `total
   loss', `complete loss'. Common interjections are "What a loss!" and
   "What a moby loss!" Note that `moby loss' is OK even though **`moby
   loser' is not used; applied to an abstract noun, moby is simply a
   magnifier, whereas when applied to a person it implies substance and has
   positive connotations. Compare {lossage}.


Source: The Jargon File