From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhave nothing to losehave nothing to losespokenLOSE A GAME, COMPETITION, OR WAR if you have nothing to lose, it is worth taking a risk because you cannot make your situation any worse You might as well apply for the job – you’ve got nothing to lose.have nothing to lose but your pride/reputation etc The working class has nothing to lose but its chains (=disadvantages, restrictions etc).have a lot/too much to lose (=used to say that you could make your situation much worse) These youngsters know they have too much to lose by protesting against the system. → lose
Examples from the Corpus
have nothing to lose• For a meeting or two, they have nothing to lose.• As the underdog here, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.• The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.• You have nothing to lose but your monotony.• If you are not sure whether you will be entitled to benefit, remember that you have nothing to lose by applying.• You have nothing to lose by taking action in the small claims court.• You have nothing to lose by trying out possible futures for size-it just requires an imaginative leap.• But you have nothing to lose - your life was being made a misery anyway. 