loose
Americanadjective
-
looser,
comparative
-
loosest
superlative
-
free or released from fastening or attachment.
a loose end.
- Antonyms:
- bound
-
free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered.
loose cats prowling around in alleyways at night.
- Synonyms:
- unbound
-
uncombined, as a chemical element.
-
not bound together.
to wear one's hair loose.
-
not put up in a package or other container.
loose mushrooms.
-
available for disposal; unused; unappropriated.
loose funds.
-
lacking in reticence or power of restraint.
a loose tongue.
-
lax, as the bowels.
-
lacking moral restraint or integrity.
notorious for his loose character.
-
sexually promiscuous or immoral; unchaste.
- Synonyms:
- licentious, dissolute, libertine
- Antonyms:
- chaste
-
not firm, taut, or rigid.
a loose tooth;
a loose rein.
-
relaxed or limber in nature.
He runs with a loose, open stride.
-
not fitting closely or tightly.
a loose sweater.
-
not close or compact in structure or arrangement; having spaces between the parts; open.
a loose weave.
-
having few restraining factors between associated constituents and allowing ample freedom for independent action.
a loose federation of city-states.
-
not cohering.
loose sand.
-
not strict, exact, or precise.
a loose interpretation of the law.
- Synonyms:
- indefinite, general, vague
-
Sports.
-
having the players on a team positioned at fairly wide intervals, as in a football formation.
-
(of a ball, hockey puck, etc.) not in the possession of either team; out of player control.
-
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
looses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
loosed,
past participle, past
-
loosing
present participle
-
to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.
-
to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.
- Synonyms:
- liberate
-
Chiefly Nautical. to set free from fastening or attachment.
to loose a boat from its moorings.
-
to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.
-
to shoot; discharge; let fly.
to loose missiles at the invaders.
-
to make less tight; slacken or relax.
- Synonyms:
- ease
- Antonyms:
- tighten
-
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
-
to let go a hold.
-
to hoist anchor; get under way.
-
to shoot or let fly an arrow, bullet, etc. (often followed byoff ).
to loose off at a flock of ducks.
-
Obsolete. to become loose; loosen.
idioms
-
break loose, to free oneself; escape.
The convicts broke loose.
-
cut loose,
-
to release from domination or control.
-
to become free, independent, etc.
-
to revel without restraint.
After the rodeo they headed into town to cut loose.
-
-
on the loose,
-
free; unconfined, as, especially, an escaped convict or circus animal.
-
behaving in an unrestrained or dissolute way.
a bachelor on the loose.
-
-
turn loose, to release or free, as from confinement.
The teacher turned the children loose after the class.
-
let loose. see let loose.
-
cast loose,
-
to loosen or unfasten, as a ship from a mooring.
-
to send forth; set adrift or free.
He was cast loose at an early age to make his own way in the world.
-
-
hang / stay loose, to remain relaxed and unperturbed.
adjective
-
free or released from confinement or restraint
-
not close, compact, or tight in structure or arrangement
-
not fitted or fitting closely
loose clothing is cooler
-
not bundled, packaged, fastened, or put in a container
loose nails
-
inexact; imprecise
a loose translation
-
(of funds, cash, etc) not allocated or locked away; readily available
-
-
(esp of women) promiscuous or easy
-
(of attitudes, ways of life, etc) immoral or dissolute
-
-
lacking a sense of responsibility or propriety
loose talk
-
-
(of the bowels) emptying easily, esp excessively; lax
-
(of a cough) accompanied by phlegm, mucus, etc
-
-
(of a dye or dyed article) fading as a result of washing; not fast
-
informal very relaxed; easy
noun
-
rugby the part of play when the forwards close round the ball in a ruck or loose scrum See scrum
-
-
free from confinement or restraint
-
informal on a spree
-
adverb
-
-
in a loose manner; loosely
-
( in combination )
loose-fitting
-
-
informal to behave in a relaxed, easy fashion
verb
-
(tr) to set free or release, as from confinement, restraint, or obligation
-
(tr) to unfasten or untie
-
to make or become less strict, tight, firmly attached, compact, etc
-
to let fly (a bullet, arrow, or other missile)
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
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
loosesimple
-
loosessimple
-
have loosedperfect
-
has loosedperfect
-
am loosingprogressive
-
are loosingprogressive
-
is loosingprogressive
-
have been loosingperfect progressive
-
has been loosingperfect progressive
Past
-
loosedsimple
-
had loosedperfect
-
was loosingprogressive
-
were loosingprogressive
-
had been loosingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing loose
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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Commonly Confused Words, List 6
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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:
Gruel talks Kennedy through the mixture, offering the kind of loose, adaptable instruction home cooks have received from television chefs for decades.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Federal prosecutors charged several people with vandalism, including former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, a 65-year-old who maintains he just picked up a piece of loose lining because he was curious …
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
On “So Unanchored,” Barberie has revived her loose cannon role in their dynamic, raw and unfiltered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
In other words, the Dodgers got Skubal for what essentially amounts to the loose change found underneath the desk in team owner Mark Walter’s office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Rowdy wouldn’t have turned loose of a bumblebee any faster than he did that monkey.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The changing picture is nevertheless likely to make for tense discussions among the ECB's "hawks", who favour rate hikes, and the "doves", who advocate looser policy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Advocates for rate increases start from a shared premise: Policy may be looser than the Fed intended it to be even after cutting last year, and the economy no longer needs the support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Stones have rarely sounded looser or more alive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
He was utilised off the bench against Morocco, Clarke hoping he'd have a bigger impact when the game was looser and the space was opening up.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
In recent years, dictionaries have come to accept a looser usage, meaning “because of” or “on account of”: Richie threw the suit away due to the hole.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
At that time, Japan was mired in deflation and had the world’s loosest monetary policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 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
According to Goldman Sachs's financial conditions indexes, global financial conditions are the loosest since April last year, and emerging market financial conditions are now the loosest since February last year.
From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2023
A secret kept, in other words, only by the loosest definition, so that now—as I get ready to leak the information myself—I feel only a slight twinge of filial guilt.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
The Bank o' England's 'ere, gentlemen, Mr. Frankie Fairprice and his ole friend, who's always by his side and never looses 'im!
From Puppets at Large Scenes and Subjects from Mr Punch's Show by Anstey, F.
All told, The Beatles and their magisterial producer George Martin loosed 16 amazing new songs into the world in August 1966, an incredible bounty, by any measure.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
"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
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
Papa breathed out, this slow, heavy thing loosed from the bottom of his soul.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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
“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
It also shows Freeman, an actor known for playing nice guys and the occasional nice hobbit, loosing the anger that he usually keeps coiled and letting his rage flag fly.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2020
Rawiya locked arms with him as they paraded down the hallway, passing more classrooms, students emptying into the stream like the loosing of a dam.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
