on the loose
idiom
: able to move freely : not controlled or held in a prison, cage, etc.
—used especially to describe a dangerous person, animal, or group
The prisoner escaped and is still on the loose.
A killer is on the loose.
An angry mob was on the loose.
Examples of on the loose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Three monkeys remained on the loose in rural Mississippi on Wednesday after a truck carrying research animals overturned, leaving authorities scrambling to track them down and raising questions about who owned the animals and where they were headed.
—
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
One is apparently still on the loose.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Saudi heritage and national pride figured across many collections, with geometric rooflines a graphic detail on the loose men’s alterna-suiting from Noble & Fresh, and odes to various regions spelled out in spirals of Arabic characters on Hindamme’s second-skin dresses.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the film finds Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and her friends, including Brenda (Regina Hall) and Buffy (Shannon Elizabeth), stuck in town with a killer on the loose.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the loose
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Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
One is apparently still on the loose.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Saudi heritage and national pride figured across many collections, with geometric rooflines a graphic detail on the loose men’s alterna-suiting from Noble & Fresh, and odes to various regions spelled out in spirals of Arabic characters on Hindamme’s second-skin dresses.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the film finds Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and her friends, including Brenda (Regina Hall) and Buffy (Shannon Elizabeth), stuck in town with a killer on the loose.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the loose
Cite this Entry
“On the loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20loose. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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