1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

loosing

verb

present participle of loose
1
as in firing
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force the archers loosed a great volley of arrows at the foot soldiers charging towards them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in unleashing
to find emotional release for do not loose your pent-up frustrations on the next person who happens by

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in freeing
to set free (as from slavery or confinement) the ranchers loosed the horses from their stables and into the paddock

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in loosening
to set free (from a state of being held in check) the storm loosed its full fury when it hit the coastline at high tide

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of loosing His pets were accused of the unneighborly habit of loosing themselves upon suburban streets, prompting panicked phone calls and unnecessary police raids. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 Florida's 2026 Python Challenge begins today, loosing a wave of Burmese python hunters onto the Everglades. — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 10 July 2026 The ClearBell colony loosing ClearBells like snowflakes into the water. — Mandy-Suzanne Wong, Longreads, 5 Feb. 2026 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 Safer, then, to keep loosing arrows at others’ positions rather than one’s own. — Shai Tubali, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosing
  1. firing
  2. unleashing
  3. freeing
  4. loosening
  5. shooting
  6. releasing
  7. rescuing
  8. throwing
Verb
  • Another man intervened, and the two men began fighting, pulled out handguns and began firing, according to information from police.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Woo said Spencer started the original fire Sunday after firing at deputies and a sheriff’s helicopter and disappearing into the forest.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of firing
Verb
  • Drake’s promotion of Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) four months after unleashing three albums left many wondering whether a fourth LP was on the horizon.
    — Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Stopping the run is critical to unleashing the Giants’ pass rush.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of unleashing
Verb
  • Arévalo was tasked with not only freeing a state captured by kleptocrats, but also strengthening one that was fundamentally weak.
    — Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Was working in the feature-length format freeing or more challenging?
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of freeing
Verb
  • These parties’ platforms vary, but both point toward repatriating competences to national governments, weakening European Court of Justice jurisdiction, and loosening the common rules that make EU commitments credible to outside partners.
    — JONAS NAHM, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • In recent weeks, the United States has succeeded in loosening Iran’s grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran’s own oil exports, accelerating its economic free fall.
    — Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of loosening
Verb
  • Bryan gets attacked by a dog, who pokes its head through a barn wall…and then the dog’s face splits apart like a flower, with tentacles shooting out.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • One of those tides came in while Steinbach was at the far end of the island shooting a sunset.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of shooting
Verb
  • That hasn’t stopped Republicans from blasting Cooper over releasing 3,500 inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a civil rights lawsuit settlement.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The panelists also said the weekly release of TV episodes, bucking Netflix’s general convention of releasing full seasons in a binge-drop, was something that resonated with viewers.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of releasing
Verb
  • Her first stop was the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter, a non-profit wildlife hospital and sanctuary dedicated to rescuing Florida’s native species, from bald eagles to bobcats.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Deputies with the Broward Sheriff's Office were seen on bodycam video rescuing puppies and dogs trapped inside a burning home in Parkland in June.
    — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of rescuing
Verb
  • The cast, who had been supportive of Paul’s controversy and mental-health struggles before the cancellation, were appalled at a video leaked in March of Paul throwing a stool at her ex, Dakota Mortensen, that almost hit her young daughter.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • After making his final start on May 14, White was diagnosed with a left shoulder capsular sprain, which is a tearing or stretching of the thick tissue wrapping around his throwing shoulder joint.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of throwing

Browse Nearby Words

loosey-goosey
loosing
loot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loosing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosing. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All