1
as in relaxes
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 frees
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 unleashes
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 loosens
But by the second verse, a racing beat arrives and never loosens its grip, especially as Rodrigo climbs the chorus.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Today’s proclamation loosens restrictions on fishing in some of those same areas, specifically, Mau and Ho‘omalu Zones of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 11 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
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
Water loosens the soil around the roots, and facilitates extraction.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Once the gunk loosens, simply wipe the interior clean with a cloth.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
The jostling loosens her ties enough to make her drop.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Note the control and tightness of the hatched lines on the cheek, and the way the mark loosens with the locks of hair right next to it, like wind rushing around a building.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Today’s proclamation loosens restrictions on fishing in some of those same areas, specifically, Mau and Ho‘omalu Zones of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 11 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
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
Water loosens the soil around the roots, and facilitates extraction.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 11 May 2026
Once the gunk loosens, simply wipe the interior clean with a cloth.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
The jostling loosens her ties enough to make her drop.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Note the control and tightness of the hatched lines on the cheek, and the way the mark loosens with the locks of hair right next to it, like wind rushing around a building.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosens
Verb
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Potassium can help the body dispose of sodium through urine and also relaxes blood vessel walls.—
Heidi Cope,
Health,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Everything is so chill that the deck team relaxes way too much.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The system also documents [the products that] will underperform, which is often the call merchants care about most, because killing the wrong bets early frees capital for the right ones.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
10 June 2026
-
Removing the lowest leaves from tomato plants also frees up garden space and can allow you to companion plant lower growing veggies, herbs, and flowers beneath tomatoes.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Based on the classic Chris Van Allsburg picture book, Jumanji centers on a pair of kids (played by Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce) who find a magical board game that unleashes its dangers into the real world.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
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But that one rampaging invader unleashes enough destruction and mayhem for a whole army, hurling cars and trucks and motorcycles through the air like toys, tearing though buildings as if they were made of cardboard, and leaving the streets littered with bloodied corpses.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Friday’s selloff eases those worries a bit.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
-
There is no explanation that eases the pain, no statement that can fully capture the grief so many in our community are experiencing.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Clearing missions liberates the different Hyrule regions from Ganondorf's control and earns resources to level up your characters and their weapons.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Anderson knows that the quality that liberates DiCaprio is comedy.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The team also built a version of the microbe that releases human IL-10.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
-
Once activated, this anti-nausea band releases a specific pattern of pulses that stimulate the median nerve under the skin.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Its transformation abilities are largely the result of a rotating shaft inside the rover that unlocks the robot’s wheels—a feature LEV-2 borrowed from children’s toys.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
11 June 2026
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As the track slowly unlocks and lifts riders to a forward-facing position, one rider gives a thumbs-up and claps.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loosens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosens. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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