loosen up

verb

loosened up; loosening up; loosens up

intransitive verb

: to become less tense : relax

Examples of loosen up in a Sentence

hoped that adding a second lane would loosen up traffic on that street a high-pressure job that makes it hard for him to loosen up even on weekends
Recent Examples on the Web But now, with his career in its final descent, Votto has loosened up. Zach Buchanan, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023 But over the years, Rieu loosened up the design and content of his shows. Ed Symkus, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 Proctor did go through the initial stretching and loosening up period with his position group. Nathan Baird, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2023 The project will stretch from Exit 238 to Exit 231, include numerous bridges and hopefully loosen up interstate traffic south of Birmingham. Ike Morgan | Imorgan@al.com, al, 1 Sep. 2023 Ready to loosen up with some awesome, do-anywhere moves? Jenny McCoy, SELF, 11 July 2023 The tight-as-a-drum labor market is loosening up as sharply higher interest rates weigh on the economy. Globe Columnist, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023 Effective for every skin type, according to the manufacturer, vibrations loosen up blackheads and help product penetrate deeper. Elizabeth Berry, Good Housekeeping, 23 Aug. 2023 With each record in her extensive discography, Giddens, one of our foremost and most historically minded Americana artists, has loosened up a bit more. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of loosen up was in 1922

Dictionary Entries Near loosen up

Cite this Entry

“Loosen up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loosen%20up. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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