break loose

idiom

1

: to suddenly become loose : to suddenly stop being attached to something

One of the shutters broke loose during the storm.

2

: to get away from someone or something by using force or effort

The prisoner broke loose and ran away.

—often + from

The prisoner broke loose from the guards.

She wants to break loose from the constraints of her middle-class life.

Examples of break loose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even short periods of convalescence, from one to three days, increase the likelihood of a condition called deep venous thrombosis, which can cause clots to break loose in the extremities and travel through the bloodstream, passing through the heart and lodging in the lungs. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025

That blood clot could break loose and travel to your lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal. —Angela Haupt, Time, 4 Aug. 2025

Juan Carlos Ferrero cut a worried figure throughout, sensing that his charge was struggling for answers and unable to break loose. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025

When The Void persona emerges, all hell and darkness break loose as this sinister silhouette is able to disintegrate anything into a shadowy puff simply by raising his hand. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for break loose

• abstruse
• abuse
• adduce
• atreus
• caboose
• cayuse
• conduce
• deduce
• diffuse
• disuse
• excuse
• footloose