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
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
For nearly three years, the Administration, beset by internal tensions, had tacked between looser and stricter policies. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Boxes of blank ammunition were piled high on shelves, guns were leaned against the wall, and loose rounds were scattered on tables among tools and other clutter. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Black recommends getting dressed in dark, loose fitting clothing and allowing the tan to develop for eight hours before showering. Addie Morton, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 Swift — who also visited the zoo twice with beau Travis Kelce during her stint in Sydney — accessorized for the hot, sunny weather with a large pair of sunglasses and pulled her hair back in a loose style. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Generally, the style sits just above the shoulder and features longer, looser layers, which allow for more versatility in styling. Hannah Coates, Glamour, 29 Feb. 2024 Scrape down the bowl and fold the dough over to form a loose sphere. Yewande Komolafe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Others sweep loose beans on the floor into piles for collection. Mumbi Gitau, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024 Giving new leaders one day of orientation before turning them loose isn't effective. Shannon Gabriel, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
One of the reasons this treaty was signed is the same reason that stationing nuclear weapons in orbit would be so dangerous: a country could loose a nuclear bomb from the heavens with very little warning. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024 Her hair, loosed from its tie, spilled onto her shoulders like fire. Panchalay Chalermkraivuth, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 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
Adverb
That’s when Shapiro saw that the area around her eye was bleeding and bruised and her front tooth was knocked loose. Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2024 The hair was then left loose, hitting just below Lipa's collarbone. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024 The chair wasn’t involved in the decision Notably, the chair of the board, Greg Brockman, was not present during the Google Meet call in which Altman was initially cut loose, according to several reports. Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 Refresh your browser for live updates from beat writer Ben Steele Chase Ross leaves game with arm injury MU sixth man Chase Ross wrestled loose a loose ball with 11:17 remaining in the first half. Ben Steele, Journal Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024 Investigators with the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission, which regulates safety on the rail system, are working to determine how the disc brake from the 3000-series train came loose. Justin George, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2023 But Take Note: Parents report the bolts can come loose easily. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 29 Sep. 2023 All this talk about a vote that’s comin’ to end slavery—all of those niggers runnin’ loose? Anna Deavere Smith, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2023 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

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 18 Mar. 2024.

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

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