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
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Recent Examples of loosen (up)
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2025
Here’s another exclusive clip, which ends with a super sweet dance party—isn't it always so fun to watch adults loosen up and act like kids again?
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
As the steam loosens up particles of fat and food, use the towel or cloth as your scrubber, repeating as many times as necessary until the surface is smooth, pushing all material into the griddle's grease trap.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
The seller may be more apt to pick some of the other types of loans, be more open-minded to taking a smaller down payment, be more open to a buyer's concession or more willing to loosen up some terms.
—Maddie McGay, USA Today, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen (up)
Verb
Everyone needs a chance to loosen up and have some fun, and even though this is also quite dark in places, definitely violent, this one is end-of-summer relief from the real world Aronofsky often inhabits.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2025
Here’s another exclusive clip, which ends with a super sweet dance party—isn't it always so fun to watch adults loosen up and act like kids again?
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
As the steam loosens up particles of fat and food, use the towel or cloth as your scrubber, repeating as many times as necessary until the surface is smooth, pushing all material into the griddle's grease trap.
—Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 6 Aug. 2025
The seller may be more apt to pick some of the other types of loans, be more open-minded to taking a smaller down payment, be more open to a buyer's concession or more willing to loosen up some terms.
—Maddie McGay, USA Today, 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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