loose

verb

loosed; loosing
Synonyms of loosenext

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 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

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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The ClearBell colony loosing ClearBells like snowflakes into the water. Mandy-Suzanne Wong, Longreads, 5 Feb. 2026 Co-regulating your emotions alongside your toddler can help achieve a resolution to conflict without raising your voice or loosing your temper. Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 26 Jan. 2026 Harrison is also a fan of the hair screw tool that’s designed to pick up long strands of hair and loose pet fur with ease. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2025 The Nünichlingler, as the walkers are called, walk because in the past, the villagers believed that on these darkest, shortest days of the year, a window opened in the earth to another world, and spirits were loosed. Veronique Greenwood, Time, 21 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for loose

Word History

Etymology
First Known Use

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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loose. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.

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

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