being someone's to lose

Verb

be someone's to lose (third-person singular simple present is someone's to lose, present participle being someone's to lose, simple past was someone's to lose, past participle been someone's to lose)

1. (idiomatic) To be anticipated to be won by someone.
   • Widely considered the favorite, the election is his to lose, but an upset is still possible if a scandal emerges.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see be, someone's, to, lose.
   • “Eventually,” Maddie continued, “my dad did lose everything, including money that wasn't his to lose. […]2014, Karen Foley, Hard to Hold (Harlequin Blaze), Harlequin, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 214