loose

American  

[loos] / lus /

adjective

• looser,
  comparative
• loosest
  superlative

1. free or released from fastening or attachment.

   a loose end.

   Antonyms:

   bound

2. free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered.

   loose cats prowling around in alleyways at night.

   Synonyms:

   unbound

3. uncombined, as a chemical element.

4. not bound together.

   to wear one's hair loose.

5. not put up in a package or other container.

   loose mushrooms.

6. available for disposal; unused; unappropriated.

   loose funds.

7. lacking in reticence or power of restraint.

   a loose tongue.

8. lax, as the bowels.

9. lacking moral restraint or integrity.

   notorious for his loose character.

10. sexually promiscuous or immoral; unchaste.

    Synonyms:

    licentious, dissolute, libertine

    Antonyms:

    chaste

11. not firm, taut, or rigid.

    a loose tooth;

    a loose rein.

12. relaxed or limber in nature.

    He runs with a loose, open stride.

13. not fitting closely or tightly.

    a loose sweater.

14. not close or compact in structure or arrangement; having spaces between the parts; open.

    a loose weave.

15. having few restraining factors between associated constituents and allowing ample freedom for independent action.

    a loose federation of city-states.

16. not cohering.

    loose sand.

17. not strict, exact, or precise.

    a loose interpretation of the law.

    Synonyms:

    indefinite, general, vague

18. Sports.

    1. having the players on a team positioned at fairly wide intervals, as in a football formation.

    2. (of a ball, hockey puck, etc.) not in the possession of either team; out of player control.

---

adverb

1. in a loose manner; loosely (usually used in combination).

   loose-flowing.

verb (used with object)

• looses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• loosed,
  past participle,  past
• loosing
  present participle

1. to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.

   Synonyms:

   unbind, loosen

2. to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.

   Synonyms:

   liberate

3. Chiefly Nautical. to set free from fastening or attachment.

   to loose a boat from its moorings.

4. to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.

5. to shoot; discharge; let fly.

   to loose missiles at the invaders.

6. to make less tight; slacken or relax.

   Synonyms:

   ease

   Antonyms:

   tighten

7. to render less firmly fixed; lessen an attachment; loosen.

verb (used without object)

• looses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• loosed,
  past participle,  past
• loosing
  present participle

1. to let go a hold.

2. to hoist anchor; get under way.

3. to shoot or let fly an arrow, bullet, etc. (often followed byoff ).

   to loose off at a flock of ducks.

4. Obsolete. to become loose; loosen.

idioms

1. break loose, to free oneself; escape.

   The convicts broke loose.

2. cut loose,

   1. to release from domination or control.

   2. to become free, independent, etc.

   3. to revel without restraint.

      After the rodeo they headed into town to cut loose.

3. on the loose,

   1. free; unconfined, as, especially, an escaped convict or circus animal.

   2. behaving in an unrestrained or dissolute way.

      a bachelor on the loose.

4. turn loose, to release or free, as from confinement.

   The teacher turned the children loose after the class.

5. let loose. see let loose.

6. cast loose,

   1. to loosen or unfasten, as a ship from a mooring.

   2. to send forth; set adrift or free.

      He was cast loose at an early age to make his own way in the world.

7. hang / stay loose, to remain relaxed and unperturbed.

loose British  

/ luːs /

adjective

1. free or released from confinement or restraint

2. not close, compact, or tight in structure or arrangement

3. not fitted or fitting closely

   loose clothing is cooler

4. not bundled, packaged, fastened, or put in a container

   loose nails

5. inexact; imprecise

   a loose translation

6. (of funds, cash, etc) not allocated or locked away; readily available

7. 1. (esp of women) promiscuous or easy

   2. (of attitudes, ways of life, etc) immoral or dissolute

8. lacking a sense of responsibility or propriety

   loose talk

9. 1. (of the bowels) emptying easily, esp excessively; lax

   2. (of a cough) accompanied by phlegm, mucus, etc

10. (of a dye or dyed article) fading as a result of washing; not fast

11. informal very relaxed; easy

---

noun

1. rugby the part of play when the forwards close round the ball in a ruck or loose scrum See scrum

2. 1. free from confinement or restraint

   2. informal on a spree

adverb

1. 1. in a loose manner; loosely

   2. ( in combination )

      loose-fitting

2. informal to behave in a relaxed, easy fashion

verb

1. (tr) to set free or release, as from confinement, restraint, or obligation

2. (tr) to unfasten or untie

3. to make or become less strict, tight, firmly attached, compact, etc

4. to let fly (a bullet, arrow, or other missile)

loose More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing loose

• at loose ends
• break loose
• cast loose
• cut loose
• footloose and fancy-free
• hang loose
• have a screw loose
• on the loose
• play fast and loose

---

Usage

What’s the difference between loose and lose? Loose is most commonly used as an adjective meaning not tight or free or released from fastening, attachment, or restraint, as in a loose screw or Let him loose! Lose is a verb most commonly meaning to fail to win or to misplace something, as in I hate to lose in chess or Don’t lose your key. Loose ends with an s sound and rhymes with moose. Lose ends with a z sound and rhymes with choose. One reason that the two words are sometimes confused is that loose can also be used as a verb, most commonly meaning to free something from a restraint, as in loose the cannons! Perhaps the most common misuse of these words is when loose is used when lose should be. To remember the difference, remember this sentence: You could lose loose screws. (First comes the verb lose, with one o, followed by the adjective loose, with two o’s). Here’s an example of loose and lose used correctly in a sentence. Example: If you carry around loose cash, you could lose it—put it in your wallet. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between loose and lose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• looseness
  noun
• overlooseness
  noun
• overloose
  adjective
• loosely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• looser
  comparative
• loosest
  superlative

Participles

• loosing
  present
• loosed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• loose
  simple
• looses
  simple
• have loosed
  perfect
• has loosed
  perfect
• am loosing
  progressive
• are loosing
  progressive
• is loosing
  progressive
• have been loosing
  perfect progressive
• has been loosing
  perfect progressive

Past

• loosed
  simple
• had loosed
  perfect
• was loosing
  progressive
• were loosing
  progressive
• had been loosing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will loose
  simple
• will have loosed
  perfect
• will be loosing
  progressive
• will have been loosing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of loose

First recorded in 1175–1225; (adjective) Middle English los, loos, from Old Norse lauss “loose, free, empty”; cognate with Old English lēas ( see -less), Dutch, German los loose, free; (verb) Middle English leowsen, lousen, derivative of the adjective

Explanation

If something is loose, it's not attached very securely to anything. Be sure the horse trailer attached to your truck isn't loose, or it might just roll away on its own while you're on the highway. Loose means "not fixed." We can use it for things that you physically attach, like doorknobs or buttons, or for ideas that aren't rigid. If someone has loose morals, they don't have a strong moral code. A floppy dancer has loose limbs, and a loose ball is one that no one's holding. It's also a verb. To loose something is to set it free, which is different from losing it. You loose the wild squirrel you nursed back to health.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

loose looser loosest looses loosed loosing

A Gaboon viper — a highly venomous snake native to the rainforests and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa — was on the loose in a Santa Ana neighborhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Hybrid warfare or hybrid attacks are loose terms that tend to describe non-military methods, for example cyber-attacks, sabotage or misinformation, designed to exert pressure and destabilise an adversary.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

But some are rethinking that kind of high-intensity parenting and setting their children loose outdoors—with some supervision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Smiling with her hair loose, the singer performed her 2002 hit before being joined by a star-studded cast of L'Oreal ambassadors including Viola Davis, Simone Ashley, Aja Naomi King and Eva Longoria.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Grandma Sadie methodically pouring water into the clear teapot and adding loose tea leaves to the cylinder.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Veteran teammates have been even looser with their superlatives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

He seated a top economic adviser, Stephen Miran, on the board, and Miran dissented in favor of looser policy at all six meetings he attended.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

In the Sun Belt, relatively looser regulatory requirements spurred more new-home construction, which in turn boosted housing supply.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

And the new deal signed with the US streaming giant in August 2025 was a looser arrangement, described as a "multi-year, first look deal".

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Morrie was in his wheelchair by the kitchen table, wearing a loose cotton shirt and even looser black sweatpants.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Few Indians—other than the many who migrated there as merchants and agricultural laborers under the Raj—felt any but the loosest kinship with Burma.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

But “The Paper” is a spinoff of “The Office” — in the loosest sense — so this isn’t a soapbox.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025

As expected, the Rangers were the loosest team after the workouts.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 2024

With stocks hovering around 33-year highs and base rates still negative, financial conditions in Japan are the loosest since 1997, according to Goldman Sachs.

From Reuters ● Jun. 29, 2023

And Gabe, by the loosest definition, was human.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Social tension could rise if Lula's government looses popular support in a context of greater economic difficulties, according to a report led by Christopher Garman, Eurasia's managing director for the Americas.

From Reuters ● Jan. 10, 2023

The loser looses any realistic path to the postseason.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2021

But the film looses coherence and urgency on the dark side of the moon.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 20, 2020

In fact, going from May to June with about 360,000 fans at three races, to June to October with far fewer if any, looses waves of quirks.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 19, 2020

No more has he, I should say, since he looses his combative instincts thus early.

From Fordham's Feud by Bertram Mitford

"It's like flying a brick – there's only one way, and it's down," said Mr Davies, from Bollington, Cheshire, describing what it was like once the the glider was loosed.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2025

In the words of the Yeats poem, "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world… Surely some revelation is at hand."

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2025

Midway through his speech, the president quoted his favorite Irish poet, William Butler Yeats: “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2024

We have entered another age of disunited nations, an era when mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

Taran heard Doli grunt as the dwarf loosed an arrow at the nearest warrior.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

Nor do they hover around the main action, loosing barbs of criticism or leering suggestively over their martinis or wistfully reminiscing about the past.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

This step is critical to keep all those juices inside the bird versus loosing those tasty juices into the bottom of your serving platter.

From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024

Presumably nobody wants to start loosing off missiles and set off World War Three?

From BBC ● May 23, 2023

“I’m loosing the hope,” the mother, who is not being named to protect her safety, texted in broken English to Principal Nate McGill, who urged her to not give up.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2021

Soon I felt him relax and loosing his hands gently drew away from him.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Related Words

• baggy
• lax
• relaxed
• sloppy