idiom · neutral
lost for words
UK/lɒst fə ˈwɜːdz/US/lɔːst fər ˈwɜrdz/LOST·for·WORDS
speakingtask2
unable to speak because of surprise, shock, or strong emotion
Examples
“When she heard the news, she was completely lost for words.”
“I was lost for words at how generous they were.”
“He was lost for words during the award ceremony.”
Band 8 sentence
“I was genuinely lost for words when they announced my name as the winner.”
Collocations
- be completely lost for words
- left someone lost for words
Word family
be lost for words phrase
Common mistakes
I lost words→I was lost for words
lost of words→lost for words
Say it for a higher band
5speechless→6without words→7+lost for words
Synonyms
speechless
Easily confused
speechless
“I was speechless when I saw the view.”
Related words
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In Communication
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