Synonyms

let loose

American

[let loos] / ˈlɛt ˈlus /

idiom

to set free; release;

They let the captured mouse loose in a field.
to allow to act freely (often followed byon ).

I have my medical students practice putting IVs in me before I let them loose on patients.
to act in a relaxed or uninhibited way.

It took some time to talk my dad into letting loose and playing a few games with the grandkids.
I can be serious when I need to be, but sometimes I just need to let loose and have fun.
to utter or issue forcefully and suddenly (sometimes followed bywith ).

I let loose a shriek and made a dive for the door.
He let loose with a flurry of angry posts on the website.
to give way; yield.

The guardrail let loose and we very nearly plunged over the edge.

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.

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let loose

I fired up the AI and let loose a good long tirade about my flaky colleague…and felt as lousy as I always do when I give voice to my most judgmental instincts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

In less than four seconds—according to butterflies let loose in my stomach—the Bentley swept past 60 mph, casually acquiring a kinetic energy of nearly one megajoule, roughly equivalent to a stick of dynamite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

A smile, a laugh - little hints that he wanted to let loose a bit.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

It was fun to just let loose, with a fat prosthetic belly, and have a good time and dance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

Then the pianist let loose a sequence of rising and falling syncopations and a man’s crooning voice stretched over it all.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

let loose

idiom

Example Sentences

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Related Words