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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of loosens
Ray’s hand loosens its grip on the weapon.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
Paired with the vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls, the experience eases jet lag, loosens tight muscles and leaves body and mind in a state of meditative calm.
—Katharina Kotrba, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
In such a scenario, reminiscent of the ‘70s, if the Fed loosens policy prematurely, inflation could spike, leading to the painful corrective measures seen under Powell’s predecessor Paul Volcker, who hiked rates aggressively and weathered severe, double-dip recessions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Director Alejo Moguillansky retains much of Fin de Partie’schoreography and structure, then carefully loosens it with comic acts of repetition and musical scoring.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
The reasoning is that adding organic matter to any soil, especially clay soil, enhances the pore structure and loosens the soil.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2025
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
Paired with the vibrations of Tibetan singing bowls, the experience eases jet lag, loosens tight muscles and leaves body and mind in a state of meditative calm.
—Katharina Kotrba, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
In such a scenario, reminiscent of the ‘70s, if the Fed loosens policy prematurely, inflation could spike, leading to the painful corrective measures seen under Powell’s predecessor Paul Volcker, who hiked rates aggressively and weathered severe, double-dip recessions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
Director Alejo Moguillansky retains much of Fin de Partie’schoreography and structure, then carefully loosens it with comic acts of repetition and musical scoring.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
The reasoning is that adding organic matter to any soil, especially clay soil, enhances the pore structure and loosens the soil.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosens
Verb
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The plaintiffs—three current students in Brooklyn yeshivas, their parents, and two former students—ask the courts to strike down a new law that relaxes oversight of nonpublic schools.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Also, closing your mouth a bit relaxes your jaw muscles and gives you more space back there.—
Elizabeth Cohen,
NBC news,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This novel approach frees up internal space, allowing for a higher concentration of active cathode materials — nickel, cobalt, and aluminum — within the same battery volume.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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More broadly, Dash argues that backing for-profit companies can still be an engine for societal change, such as his investment in the health tech company Abridge, which frees up doctors’ time by eliminating menial tasks.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Every week, Netflix unleashes a bunch of new content for viewers to stream.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Oct. 2025
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Tales From Beyond the Pale co-creator Glenn McQuaid unleashes a Jason Voorhees whose appearance is concealed not by a hockey mask but a squiggly blur of video noise, corrupting the handheld footage of him stalking college kids through the woods.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If Tylenol eases a pregnant woman’s severe headache, then preeclampsia is generally not the cause.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
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The two-minute clip eases audiences into the documentary's unique visual approach, which tells its story almost entirely through 911 calls and footage culled from body cameras worn by police officers.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Prize is technically a financial award, not a grant, which liberates recipients to dream, pause, pivot, or scale on their own terms.—
Afdhel Aziz,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This liberates the show from the crime-investigation-arrest plot arc typical of this genre without robbing it of suspense.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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There was a noticeable gap between Ocean dropping his studio debut Channel Orange in 2012 and his 2016 album releases Endless and Blonde — and fans noticed.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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Magnolia owns worldwide rights and releases the film through 2929, which produced the original film with Participant.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sánchez’s changeup is the pitch that unlocks everything else for him, and has been particularly lethal at home at Citizens Bank Park.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Joining Prime not only gives you access to exclusive discounts during the event, but also unlocks year-round benefits like fast, free shipping, Prime Video, Prime Reading and Prime Gaming.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Loosens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosens. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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