lose close

[/luːz kloʊs/]

verb phrase

perder por pouco; quase perder

1. To be defeated or to fail to win by a small margin or narrow difference

Our team lost close in the final match, missing the championship by just one point.

Nosso time perdeu por pouco na partida final, perdendo o campeonato por apenas um ponto.

2. To come very close to losing something but ultimately fail to retain it

He lost close to his competitive edge after the injury.

Ele quase perdeu seu espírito competitivo após a lesão.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

perder por pouco

Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese

Portugal

perder por margem mínima

Formal variant used in European Portuguese

close but no cigar

almost but not quite

miss by a hair

lose in a photo finish

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