loosen
Americanverb (used with object)
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loosens,
present (3rd person singular)
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loosened,
past participle, past
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loosening
present participle
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to unfasten or undo, as a bond or fetter.
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to make less tight; slacken or relax.
to loosen one's grasp.
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to make less firmly fixed in place.
to loosen a tooth.
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to let loose or set free from bonds, restraint, or constraint.
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to make less close or compact in structure or arrangement.
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to make less dense or coherent.
to loosen the soil in a garden.
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to relax in strictness or severity, as restraint or discipline.
to loosen restrictions on trade.
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to relieve (the bowels) of their constipated condition.
verb (used without object)
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loosens,
present (3rd person singular)
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loosened,
past participle, past
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loosening
present participle
verb
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to make or become less tight, fixed, etc
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(often foll by up) to make or become less firm, compact, or rigid
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(tr) to untie
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(tr) to let loose; set free
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(often foll by up) to make or become less strict, severe, etc
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(tr) to rid or relieve (the bowels) of constipation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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loosensimple
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loosenssimple
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have loosenedperfect
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has loosenedperfect
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am looseningprogressive
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are looseningprogressive
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is looseningprogressive
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have been looseningperfect progressive
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has been looseningperfect progressive
Past
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loosenedsimple
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had loosenedperfect
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was looseningprogressive
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were looseningprogressive
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had been looseningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of loosen
First recorded in 1350–1400, loosen is from the Middle English word loosnen. See loose, -en 1
Explanation
When you loosen something, you make it less tight. A ballerina, for example, might loosen her tightly coiled hair after dance practice. You might need to loosen your belt after eating a huge meal, or loosen your collar and tie after a long day at work. Things sometimes also loosen on their own, like when a dog's collar loosens gradually until she can slip right out of it to chase a squirrel. There is also a figurative way to loosen things, making them less strict, like when a community loosens certain rules or laws.
Vocabulary lists containing loosen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another maramaba noblewoman Tamu Rambu Margaretha -- widely known as Mama Margaretha -- has long sought to loosen the bonds of slavery in her village of Prailiu, even travelling to Jakarta to advocate emancipation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Let the pastries cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then gently loosen them with a small offset spatula or butter knife.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
When it was time for our archery lesson, Fadel conducted one last somatic exercise to loosen us up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
States including Montana, California and New York are already taking steps to loosen the regulations that have historically suppressed housing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
I tried, in my way, to loosen the protocol of the place.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
“A flurry of tankers have taken the chance to exit the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran loosens its grip on the key waterway under conditions stipulated under the agreement,” the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
It loosens them up a little and helps avoid cracks.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
Isik Mater, the group's director of research, said there was no guarantee that a more complete picture would emerge even if the regime loosens connectivity restrictions.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026
Wright, in a recent interview with US outlet Politico, welcomed the passing of Venezuela's new hydrocarbons law, which loosens the state's grip on the commodity that is Venezuela's main source of revenue.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
This swells the kernels and loosens the skin.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
After more than three years of sitting on a massive cash pile, Berkshire Hathaway finally loosened up and found a stock worth buying — its own.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Austin, Texas, recently loosened its planning system and is now building 32,000 homes a year—the per capita equivalent of London building 113,000 a year, according to the CPS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
You’re punchy, you’re loosened up, you’re not being so edited or controlled.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Japan has loosened rules, external to allow for the increased use of coal-fired power plants, Italy is delaying the closure, external of its remaining stations until 2038, and India has postponed maintenance , externalshutdowns.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Sela probed a loosened tooth with her tongue.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
At the same time, Fannie Mae is loosening some insurance requirements for condos that lenders had said were too burdensome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Pictures of him loosening off under a Kingston Bridge flyover in a hotel car park.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
In 2021, thousands crossed to take advantage of Rabat loosening border controls during a diplomatic dispute with Spain.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Last week, a Food and Drug Administration panel narrowly voted—with Kennedy’s support—to recommend the loosening of regulations around six peptides.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
Moody, quite unconcerned, was now loosening the ties of the large sacks he had brought with him.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
