loosen up

verb

loosened up; loosening up; loosens up

intransitive verb

: to become less tense : relax

Synonyms

• relax
• hang loose

Examples of loosen up in a Sentence

hoped that adding a second lane would loosen up traffic on that street

a high-pressure job that makes it hard for him to loosen up even on weekends

Recent Examples on the Web

And though this slick east-side restaurant has loosened up a bit, the razor-sharp staff still runs the place like the fine-dining spectacle it's been for 20 years, with perfect pacing and so much poise. —Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025

Parker’s series starts out with too much bellowing and yelling along with hazing and bullying but loosens up and broadens out to peer into the lives of other recruits who are wrestling with demons and sometimes each other. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025

Part of that is loosening up streamers’ bids for lengthy contract terms on series, potentially in exchange for less money. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025

This routine takes you through some stretches that will help loosen up your hips and lower back. —Yoga With Kassandra, Outside, 11 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for loosen up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup