recoup one's losses; break even
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesverb
to win back money lost in gambling; to recoup one's losses
informalLiterally 'fishing back one's capital'. Original sense specifically related to gambling.
He lost quite a bit tonight and is thinking about how to win his money back.
Stop gambling. It's too dangerous to try to recoup your losses on the next bet.
verb
to take measures to compensate for a loss (generally in a self-serving or negative way)
informalExtended meaning. Often implies the methods used are not entirely honest or are desperate attempts to make up for a setback, thus frequently carrying a derogatory connotation.
The company lost money last year, so he's desperately exploiting employees this year to try to recoup the losses.
This practice of cheating consumers is purely an attempt to make up for their losses.
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After his investment failed, he started taking on all sorts of bad projects to try to break even.