footloose

adjective

foot·​loose ˈfu̇t-ˌlüs 

: having no ties : free to move about

Synonyms of footloose

• loose
• free
• unbound

Examples of footloose in a Sentence

When she was 20, she was footloose and fancy-free, with no family or serious career to tie her down.

after having been chained for so long, the suddenly footloose dog ran helter-skelter about the yard

Recent Examples on the Web

This attempt to revisit the type of fanciful, footloose and fancy-twee storytelling that helped characterize that cultural moment is a big swing, and an even bigger miss. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025

But sis, this vacation is your time to let go of all those titles and lean into being footloose and carefree. — Brittany Vickers, Essence, 15 Sep. 2025

Of all the world’s footloose international students, 15 percent come to the United States, the largest share of any country in the world. — David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025

Defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son. — Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for footloose

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

Kids Definition

footloose

adjective

foot·​loose -ˌlüs 

: having no ties : free to roam