loosened; loosening
ˈlü-sᵊn-iŋ 
ˈlüs-niŋ
1
: to release from restraint
2
: to make looser
loosened his tie
loosen a screw
3
: to relieve (the bowels) of constipation
4
: to cause or permit to become less strict
—often used with up
loosened the rules
: to become loose or looser
Examples of loosen in a Sentence
He used a spade to loosen the soil.
She loosened the cake from the sides of the pan.
After eating so much I had to loosen my belt.
When the meeting was over he loosened his tie.
One of the screws had loosened a bit and had to be tightened.
Each generation seems to loosen the established standards of behavior.
Standards of behavior seem to be loosening everywhere.
Recent Examples on the Web
This multimedia method of reading creates quick little shots of prose that can loosen the writing gears.
—
Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
But movement away from outsourcing computing power and toward native chip design could loosen Nvidia’s chokehold on the market.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
After the Hamas attack, Israel's far-right national security minister loosened gun laws to arm civilians.
—Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The reins were loosened in today's session—well, just a little.
—John Burek, PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
Such a plan is fraught with peril, starting with the fact that the king already has a lover, the Earl of Somerset (Laurie Davidson), who has no intention of allowing anyone to loosen his hold over him.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Apple is loosening its App Store restrictions and opening the marketplace up to retro game emulators.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
The church recently loosened its policy, but my parents are still holding me to it.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI loosened those restrictions, resulting in a boom for traditionalist parishes.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
But movement away from outsourcing computing power and toward native chip design could loosen Nvidia’s chokehold on the market.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
After the Hamas attack, Israel's far-right national security minister loosened gun laws to arm civilians.
—Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The reins were loosened in today's session—well, just a little.
—John Burek, PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
Such a plan is fraught with peril, starting with the fact that the king already has a lover, the Earl of Somerset (Laurie Davidson), who has no intention of allowing anyone to loosen his hold over him.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Apple is loosening its App Store restrictions and opening the marketplace up to retro game emulators.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024
The church recently loosened its policy, but my parents are still holding me to it.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI loosened those restrictions, resulting in a boom for traditionalist parishes.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loosen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to loosen
Dictionary Entries Near loosen
Cite this Entry
“Loosen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loosen. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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