loose

1 of 3

adjective

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
looseness noun

loose

2 of 3

verb

loosed; loosing

transitive verb

1
a
: to let loose (see loose entry 1) : 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 mooringsGeorge 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

loose

3 of 3

adverb

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

Examples of loose in a Sentence

Adjective 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. Verb The soldiers loosed a volley of rifle fire. the archers loosed a great volley of arrows at the foot soldiers charging towards them See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
However, an onrushing Daniel Rios beat San Diego’s Charlie Adams to the loose ball, gathered the rebound and scored. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2023 Her hair cascaded in loose glossy waves from the base of her ponytail. Gabi Thorne, Allure, 25 Sep. 2023 As opinions about guns became more politicized, advocating looser laws became a useful tool for politicians to motivate a conservative base. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2023 Her hair was styled in loose waves that paired perfectly with her beachy balayage highlights. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 22 Sep. 2023 In these instances, the cranial openings allegedly often grew infected and were immensely painful to the animals, and some implants became so loose they could be easily dislodged. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Sep. 2023 Beckham missed the first few plays of the Ravens’ next possession but remained on the sideline with his helmet on and attempted to stay loose by running in place. C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023 Her hair was pulled back into a soft and wispy half-up 'do that looked put together without being fussy, along with some loose curls. Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023 In the looser and more experimental new season, Hugs Not Thugs has gone under, and the men squabble over who’s unhappier—with some competition from a now dissolute Minister Payne. The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023
Verb
The soldiers loosed a volley or two of musket fire at the mass of agitated native inhabitants and made a hasty retreat to their longboat. Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023 The initial energies social media loosed in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere were real and explosive—governments did shake, and regimes did fall. Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 20 Sep. 2023 The death of Nobel laureate Toni Morrison in the summer of 2019 loosed a flood of words upon the world. Namwali Serpell, The New York Review of Books, 18 Aug. 2023 Islamic Jihad loosed a barrage of retaliatory rocket attacks; Israel responded with surprise strikes across Gaza early Tuesday that killed at least three of the group’s commanders. Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 12 May 2023 Over the last few days, DeSantis has loosed a barrage of attacks on Trump. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 5 June 2023 But perhaps none of the slings and arrows flung at Jackson has provoked as much outrage as the one the state House of Representatives loosed earlier this month. Michael Wines, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023 The Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, has proven a formidable weapon for the U.S. military, quietly lurking in the sky and then zipping in to loose a missile on enemy targets. David H Freedman, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2012 The results show that olfactory stimulation and processing may help maintain a healthy brain, and people who loose their sense of smell may experience emotional consequences. Ian Vorster, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2014
Adverb
In the process, the student, Aniya Harmon, felt her clothes come loose, exposing her right breast to onlooking students, the lawsuit alleges. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 The ball pops loose, but Sam Olson recovers it in the end zone for a San Jose State touchdown. Nick Daschel | Ndaschel@oregonian.com, oregonlive, 3 Sep. 2023 Instead of the classic twist-on broom head, this option features a snap-locking mechanism that will never twist loose. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2023 Cunningham is simply too athletic and too team-oriented for the Patriots to cut loose. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Aug. 2023 In the vid, her deep, rich brunette hair is parted in the center and styled in done but not done loose, undulating waves flowing all the way down her shoulders almost to her hips. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Aug. 2023 Bret got the collar loose, her husband opened up the crawl space, and the dog came running out. Kelsey Mulvey, House Beautiful, 7 Aug. 2023 Plus, widely available standard .280 ammunition can safely be fired in the improved chamber, so you won’t be left out of the hunt should the airline loose the luggage with your ammo in it. Joseph Von Benedikt, Field & Stream, 3 Aug. 2023 Two years later—with the Supreme Court shaking loose a lot of ground in the interim—that figure surged to 60%. Philip Elliott, Time, 23 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Adverb

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

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of loose was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near loose

Cite this Entry

“Loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loose. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

loose

1 of 2 adjective
looser; loosest
1
a
: not firmly fastened or securely attached
a loose tooth
b
: no longer attached
a boat loose from its moorings
c
: not tight-fitting
2
a
: not shut in, tied up, or held back
a lion loose in the streets
b
: not brought together in a bundle, container, or binding
loose sheets of pages
3
: not dense or compact
loose dirt
cloth of loose weave
4
: not respectable : immoral
loose conduct
5
: not tightly drawn or stretched : slack
6
: not exact or careful
a loose guess
loose adverb
loosely adverb
looseness noun

loose

2 of 2 verb
loosed; loosing
1
2
: shoot entry 1 sense 1, fire
loose a volley

Medical Definition

loose

adjective
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

More from Merriam-Webster on loose

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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