as in to facilitate
to free from obstruction or difficulty
hoped that adding a second lane would loosen up traffic on that street
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to relax
to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety
a high-pressure job that makes it hard for him to loosen up even on weekends
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loosen (up)
Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 20 June 2025
But the Edwards’ performance out of the gates allowed everyone to loosen up.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
Jaclyn plays the instigator, tries to get her friends to loosen up and be wild, and then Jaclyn ends up grabbing the spotlight back, leaving Laurie and Kate fuming.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
At least twice, that has loosened up in the morning.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen (up)
Verb
Deutsche Bank analysts also expect regulators to loosen up.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 20 June 2025
But the Edwards’ performance out of the gates allowed everyone to loosen up.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
Jaclyn plays the instigator, tries to get her friends to loosen up and be wild, and then Jaclyn ends up grabbing the spotlight back, leaving Laurie and Kate fuming.
—Noel Murray, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
At least twice, that has loosened up in the morning.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen (up)
Cite this Entry
“Loosen (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosen%20%28up%29. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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