1
as in to relax
to make less taut
the lead climber loosened the climbing rope so that the other climber could have more room to maneuver
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to release
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
the dog ran after the squirrel after he was loosened from the post
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to unleash
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
once he got to know us better, his inhibitions loosened a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loosen
The change represents a shift in how OpenAI approaches content restrictions, which the company had loosened in February but then dramatically tightened after an August lawsuit from parents of a teen who died by suicide after allegedly receiving encouragement from ChatGPT.
—
ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2025
Hip tightness is often associated with back pain, and this stretch can help loosen your hips.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 14 Oct. 2025
Medical and emergency supplies are also pre-positioned now that access restrictions have been loosened.
—Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025
Something in the earth seemed to loosen its grip.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen
ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2025
Hip tightness is often associated with back pain, and this stretch can help loosen your hips.
—Jakob Roze, Health, 14 Oct. 2025
Medical and emergency supplies are also pre-positioned now that access restrictions have been loosened.
—Yamiche Alcindor, NBC news, 14 Oct. 2025
Something in the earth seemed to loosen its grip.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosen
Verb
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The Athmile Wide-Leg Sweatpants, which shoppers love for traveling, running errands, and relaxing at home, have a super-soft fleece lining and pockets big enough for smartphones.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Take time to relax and enjoy yourself.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to reports, the 49ers are releasing Marquez Valdes-Scantling with an injury settlement.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, large crowds of demonstrators gathered on Saturday, urging the government to pressure Hamas to release the bodies.—
Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The concept of those parties was to cram as many people as possible into a very small basement, encourage everyone to get totally wasted, and then unleash the sounds of Meltdown at pain level.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Fix Our Forests Act will help to unleash the conservation prowess of ranchers by limiting frivolous litigation and streamlining government processes to reduce fuel loads on the landscape at a much faster pace.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Key Takeaways Cumin, coriander, and fennel may ease bloating and gas by supporting digestion.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
17 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, worries about oversupply have pressured the oil market, with the price of Brent and WTI both at near five-month lows – potentially easing the inflation burden for Americans, if gas prices follow oil prices lower.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lightning looms as winds threaten to push the tower over, but somehow the rescue team frees him from the wreckage to safety.—
Bryan West,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Oct. 2025
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The organization, which relies almost entirely on donations and volunteer fosters, is also calling attention to the overcrowding at local shelters and encourages people to adopt or foster animals to free up space, so more animals like Xiao Mao can get help.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Change is uncomfortable, but this transit is here to liberate you in unexpected ways.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Warsaw doctors likewise wrote about patients whose hearts failed after they were fed; when Allied soldiers liberated the concentration camps, large numbers of emaciated people died after being given high-calorie foods such as chocolate.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Safer, then, to keep loosing arrows at others’ positions rather than one’s own.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
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In more recent years, fleeting trends and other fashion antics sometimes sidetracked Armani, especially on the runway, where aviator hats or tricky pants — from bloomers to loose, low-crotch styles — won him barbs from critics.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In May 2024, our officers helped rescue a bull that had escaped.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Aurora, the husky, had to be rescued by local animal control after chasing a squirrel up a tree in her Indiana backyard and getting stuck on a branch up in the air.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Loosen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosen. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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