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
For a long time, this has included forms of cross-dressing and gender play, not as identity, but as performance, as part of a tradition that allows, briefly, for social boundaries to loosen.
—
Vogue, 1 June 2026
Teams experiment more broadly, deploy more agents, automate more workflows, and generate exponentially larger amounts of inference traffic once the constraint loosens.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The reins were loosened and the horse began to gallop and flare its nostrils.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Experts advise hand-pulling weeds after a rain, which loosens the soil and makes the job much easier.
—Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for loosen
Vogue, 1 June 2026
Teams experiment more broadly, deploy more agents, automate more workflows, and generate exponentially larger amounts of inference traffic once the constraint loosens.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The reins were loosened and the horse began to gallop and flare its nostrils.
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Experts advise hand-pulling weeds after a rain, which loosens the soil and makes the job much easier.
—Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for loosen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosen
Verb
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Richards, who began relaxing her hair at 13-years-old, echoes this.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
29 May 2026
-
The important thing with knowing the danger is to accept it and relax.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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An estimate from the British spy agency GCHQ released Wednesday put the total Russian death toll at 500,000, citing new information.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants has released international dining guides since 2002.—
Angela Osorio,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
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The demolition of McKim Mead and White’s masterpiece unleashed the preservation movement and a multigenerational tide of nostalgia, which should rightly get refracted into any new design.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
8 June 2026
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The Angels unleashed five games’ worth of frustration on the Dodgers.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria — like South Africa — had been easing monetary policy before the conflict broke out, but chose to hold their lending rates steady in recent weeks.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
29 May 2026
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But to ease you in, here is a reminder of some of the Premier League players who could be searching for a move this summer.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The second season finale saw Deborah fire Ava to free her up to be her own person and chase her career, only for the two to boomerang back together.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Orbit Robotics says its mission isn't to replace astronauts but to free them.—
Omar Kardoudi
May 29,
New Atlas,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Secretary Hegseth seemed in his remarks to link immigration to the legacy of the D-Day landings by Allied forces who were liberating Europe from the Nazis.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
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Lastly, let the full moon in Capricorn liberate you from emotional baggage.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The ClearBell colony loosing ClearBells like snowflakes into the water.—
Mandy-Suzanne Wong,
Longreads,
5 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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Yazid Abubakar, a police spokesman in northwest Nigeria, said in a statement efforts were underway to rescue six students who were kidnapped at gunpoint from an off-campus residence in the Kaura Namoda area of Zamfara state.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2026
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The Peruvians erupted again a few minutes later when one of their players came close to scoring an own goal but was rescued by teammate Fabio Gruber, who sprinted into the box and made a spectacular clearance off the line just before the ball went in.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loosen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosen. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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