loose

adjective \ ˈlüs \

Definition of loose

looser; loosest

1 a :not rigidly fastened or securely attached

loose planks in a bridge

b (1) :having worked partly free from attachments

a loose tooth

(2) :having relative freedom of movement

c :produced freely and accompanied by raising of mucus

a loose cough

d :not tight-fitting

loose clothing

2 a :free from a state of confinement, restraint, or obligation

a lion loose in the streets

spend loose funds wisely

b :not brought together in a bundle, container, or binding

c archaic :disconnected, detached

3 a :not dense, close, or compact in structure or arrangement

loose soil

b :not solid :watery

loose stools

4 a :lacking in restraint or power of restraint

a loose tongue

b :lacking moral restraint :unchaste

c :overactive; specifically :marked by frequent voiding especially of watery stools

loose bowels

5 a :not tightly drawn or stretched :slack

a loose belt

b :being flexible or relaxed

stay loose

6 a :lacking in precision, exactness, or care

loose brushwork

loose usage

b :permitting freedom of interpretation

a loose construction of the Constitution

7 :not in the possession of either of two competing teams

a loose ball

a loose puck

—

loosely

adverb

—

looseness

noun

See loose defined for English-language learners

See loose defined for kids

Examples of loose in a Sentence

Some of the shingles on the roof were loose.
The rope was tied in a loose knot.
The nails had been pried loose.
Some of the shingles had come loose.
The boat came loose from its moorings and floated out into the harbor.
The ball popped loose from the shortstop's glove.
loose reins on a horse
She was wearing a loose dress.
The dog was wandering loose in the streets.

Recent Examples of loose from the Web

During the rally on Tuesday, Trump seemed to be enjoying the opportunity to let his rage loose in a crowd of adoring fans.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Trump's Vacation Is Over," 23 Aug. 2017
College women still have loose stereotypes attached to them.

— kate friedman, Glamour, "These 22 College Students Will Change Your Perspective on What It's Like to be a Young Woman in America Right Now," 23 Aug. 2017
With high temperatures between 89-94 degrees and a heat index between 93-98 degrees, the National Weather Service still advises those viewing the eclipse outside to wear loose, breathable clothing and to stay hydrated.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Cloud coverage eases up for eclipse day in Louisville, Hopkinsville," 21 Aug. 2017
Radiofrequency Technology Radiofrequency waves also heat and tighten loose or sagging skin.

— dr. leslie baumann, miamiherald, "Sagging skin? Turkey neck? These treatments may help tighten your loose skin.," 21 Aug. 2017
In his early movies, Lewis played loose-limbed, buck-toothed, overgrown adolescents, trouble-prone and inclined to wail when beset by enemies.

— Washington Post, "Jerry Lewis, comedy icon and telethon host dies, at 91," 20 Aug. 2017
During the global banking crisis, for example, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy weakened the greenback and led to manipulation accusations by other countries whose currencies strengthened and exports declined.

— greg quinn, Bloomberg.com, "What to Expect From Nafta 2.0 Negotiations: QuickTake Scorecard," 15 Aug. 2017
A tour group called North-East of India was traveling down a road in Assam on July 26 and captured video of a rhino running loose as their vehicle followed, the UPI reported.

— monty davis, kansascity, "Watch: Vehicles scramble to get away from a charging rhino in India," 4 Aug. 2017
At any moment that skirt can cut loose, killing the person and injuring or killing the firefighter,’’ Holder said.

— city news service, Rancho Bernardo, "Tree-trimmer rescued from Rancho Bernardo palm tree," 27 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'loose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of loose

Middle English lous, from Old Norse lauss; akin to Old High German lōs loose — more at -less

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

loose Synonyms

Synonyms

insecure, lax, loosened, relaxed, slack, slackened, unsecured

Antonyms

taut, tense, tight

Related Words

detached, free, unattached, unbound, undone, unfastened, untied; baggy, blousy, saggy

Near Antonyms

constrained, restrained; attached, bound, fastened, tied; fast, firm, jammed, snug, stuck, wedged

loose

verb \ ˈlüs \

Definition of loose

loosed; loosing

transitive verb

1 a :to let loose (see ¹loose) :release

loosed the dogs on the prowlers

b :to free from restraint

2 :to make loose :untie

loose a knot

3 :to cast loose :detach

loosed the boat from its moorings
—George Eliot

4 :to let fly :discharge

loosed a hail of bullets

5 :to make less rigid, tight, or strict :relax

loosed his grip

intransitive verb

:to let fly a missile (such as an arrow) :fire

See loose defined for English-language learners

Examples of loose in a Sentence

The soldiers loosed a volley of rifle fire.
the archers loosed a great volley of arrows at the foot soldiers charging towards them

Recent Examples of loose from the Web

Twenty-eight years earlier, in 1554, Madame Chartri had become pregnant at 40, grown large, and gone into a labor that loosed only amniotic fluid and blood.

— joanna petrone, Longreads, "Pregnant, then Ruptured," 18 Aug. 2017
The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "What to Know Before You Compare Truman's Hiroshima Statement to Trump's North Korea Ultimatum," 9 Aug. 2017
Break loose the lug nuts and jack up the car just enough for the wheel to rotate.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Helping hands for DIY in the garage," 2 Aug. 2017
It was loosed on the eve of a national holiday marking Ukraine’s 1996 constitution — its first after independence from Soviet rule.

— Washington Post, "New highly virulent strain of ransomware cripples networks," 28 June 2017
Defendants said they were moved to join Bundy after seeing internet images of officers throwing an elderly woman to the ground, loosing dogs on one of Bundy's sons and shocking protesters with stun guns.

— robert anglen, USA TODAY, "Judge rejects Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy attempt to jump-start trial," 19 May 2017
At first, Irving and Joseph seemed frozen, eyeball to eyeball, in a stalemated stare down, but suddenly Irving shook loose with s couple of dribbles and loosed another step-back three.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Kyrie Irving's late burst shows Cleveland Cavaliers' firepower: Bill Livingston (photos, video)," 8 May 2017
A slick electronic beat provides a head-knockin' back bone for the MC to let loose some interstellar bars.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Martin Garrix's STMPD RCRDS Debuts Funky New Duo Crash Land: Watch," 28 Apr. 2017
As Mr. Akram, who is 20, stopped to join a group of friends, an Iraqi helicopter in the sky behind him let loose a volley of rocket fire at Islamic State targets across the Tigris River, where...

— ben kesling, WSJ, "In Mosul, Residents Rebuild as Iraqi Forces Fight Islamic State," 1 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of loose

see ¹loose

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

loose Synonyms

Synonyms

blast, discharge, fire, shoot, squeeze off

Antonyms

bottle (up), repress, suppress

Related Words

launch, project; blaze (at), snipe (at); cast, catapult, fling, heave, hurl, hurtle, lob, pelt, pitch, sling, throw, toss

Near Antonyms

control, govern, handle, manage; bridle, check, constrain, contain, curb, hold back, pull in, quell, rein (in), restrain, smother, tame; allay, lull, quiet, soothe, still; choke, inhibit, muffle, pocket, repress, stifle, strangle, swallow

loose

adverb \ ˈlüs \

Definition of loose

:in a loose manner (see ¹loose) :loosely

See loose defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of loose from the Web

When the storm broke loose, even the former director of U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, weighed in.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Sure, you can wear designer clothing in Kentucky - but don't add a hashtag," 22 Aug. 2017
The Colts came up with the fumble, but officials ruled Roberts’ forward progress had stopped before the ball came loose.

— dave birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Ball security an issue for Detroit Lions' Michael Roberts, must 'get it corrected'," 16 Aug. 2017
Depending on the size of the munitions, a B-2 could drop a pair of bunker busters during a sortie or let loose more than 150 smaller bombs all able to hit separate bull’s-eyes.

— scott canon, kansascity, "North Korea, ‘fire and fury’ and Guam: Missouri-based B-2 bombers play a key role," 10 Aug. 2017
The boy was walking the family’s hound mix puppy when a golden retriever being walked by an 8-year-old boy broke loose and attacked him.

— Washington Post, "Montgomery County Animal Watch," 9 Aug. 2017
Chippewa Indians let loose flaming arrows toward the sky, intending to reignite that life-giving orb.

— sarah scoles, Discover Magazine, "Eclipse 2017: Mind Melt," 7 Aug. 2017
Maluuba, a company recently bought by Microsoft, recently let loose a learning AI on Ms. Pac Man and eventually got the highest possible score, 999,990.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "AI Just Got a Perfect Score on Ms. Pac Man," 15 June 2017
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the workman was helping to unload the pipes from the trailer when a pipe came loose shortly after 2:30 p.m. The workman was pronounced dead at the scene, the southbound U.S. 169 ramp to Londonderry Road.

— pioneer press, Twin Cities, "Pipe rolls off semi, killing workman at U.S. 169 construction site," 20 Feb. 2017
In the first failure, the bottle came loose during launch and punctured the second-stage tank.

— sandy mazza, Orange County Register, "SpaceX has flawless launch, lands on barge," 14 Jan. 2017

Origin and Etymology of loose

see ¹loose

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

LOOSE Defined for English Language Learners

loose

adjective

Definition of loose for English Language Learners

: not tightly fastened, attached, or held
: not pulled or stretched tight
of clothing : not fitting close to your body : not tight

loose

verb

Definition of loose for English Language Learners

: to release or untie (an animal or person)
: to make (something) less tight
: to shoot or fire (something, such as an arrow or a bullet)

loose

adverb

Definition of loose for English Language Learners

: in a way that does not fit close to your body

LOOSE Defined for Kids

loose

adjective \ ˈlüs \

Definition of loose for Students

looser; loosest

1 :not tightly fixed or fastened

a loose board

2 :not pulled tight

a loose belt

3 :not tied up or shut in

a loose horse

4 :not brought together in a bundle or binding

loose sheets of paper

5 :having parts that are not held or squeezed tightly together

loose gravel

6 :not exact or precise

a loose translation

—

loosely

adverb

—

looseness

noun

loose

verb

Definition of loose for Students

loosed; loosing

1 :to make less tight

He loosed the knot.

2 :to set free

They loosed the dogs.

Medical Dictionary

loose

adjective \ ˈlüs \

medical Definition of loose

looser; loosest

1 a :not rigidly fastened or securely attached

b (1) :having worked partly free from attachments

a loose tooth

(2) :having relative freedom of movement

c :produced freely and accompanied by raising of mucus

a loose cough

2 a :not dense, close, or compact in structure or arrangement

loose connective tissue

b :not solid :watery

loose stools

3 :overactive; specifically :marked by frequent voiding especially of watery stools

loose bowels

4 :not tightly drawn or stretched

loose skin

—

loosely

adverb

—

looseness

noun

Learn More about loose

See words that rhyme with loose Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for loose Spanish Central: Translation of loose Nglish: Translation of loose for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of loose for Arabic speakers

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loose

Definition of loose

Examples of loose in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of loose

loose Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

loose

Definition of loose

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Origin and Etymology of loose

LOOSE Defined for English Language Learners

loose

Definition of loose for English Language Learners

loose

Definition of loose for English Language Learners

loose

Definition of loose for English Language Learners

LOOSE Defined for Kids

loose

Definition of loose for Students

loosely

looseness

loose

Definition of loose for Students

Medical Dictionary

loose

medical Definition of loose

loosely

looseness

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