on the loose
Idioms-
At large, free, as in That dog of theirs is on the loose all the time . [Second half of 1800s]
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Acting without restraint, as in After the game the players were in town, on the loose . [Mid-1700s]
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.
South Korean authorities have deployed heat-seeking cameras and drones in a widening search for a runaway wolf that has been on the loose for three days after escaping from a zoo.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Tiny dog on the loose holds up San Francisco trains.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026
“They told me a suspect was on the loose and that police were holding a perimeter. I didn’t know he was armed,” Hammitt said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026
Meanwhile, seven menacing figures in shaggy bleached-blond wigs are on the loose, looking like the world’s most dangerous bubblegum pop band.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
On the other hand, every displaced person milling about on the streets means another pair of eyes looking for the five rebels on the loose.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
