loosen up

verb

loosened up; loosening up; loosens up

intransitive verb

: to become less tense : relax

Synonyms of loosen up

• relax
• hang loose

Examples of loosen up in a Sentence

hoped that adding a second lane would loosen up traffic on that street

a high-pressure job that makes it hard for him to loosen up even on weekends

Recent Examples on the Web

But by the second half of the 20th century, NAR seemed to loosen up. — Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026

After filming the second episode, Reynolds began to loosen up. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

For almost as long, ambitious station owners have tried to get the government to loosen up. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

Instead, the speakers who resonate most today are those who loosen up and embrace a more idiosyncratic, less perfect expressiveness. — Matt Abrahams, Time, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for loosen up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup