loose end

See synonyms for loose end on Thesaurus.com

noun

a part or piece left hanging, unattached, or unused: Remind me to tack down that loose end on the stairway carpet.
an unsettled detail, as of a business matter: The arrangements have been made, except for a few loose ends.

Idioms about loose end

at loose ends, in an uncertain or unsettled situation or position: Ever since leaving the company, he's been at loose ends.: Also at a loose end.

Origin of loose end

First recorded in 1540–50

Words Nearby loose end

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use loose end in a sentence

On the standing side of the rope, create a small loop that faces the loose end of the rope.
The Laid-Back Adventurer’s Guide to Outdoor Skills | awise | August 2, 2021 | Outside Online
The United States, you may not be surprised to learn, is on the loose end of the spectrum — although not in the top five.
The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s Stop Pretending We’re Not (Ep. 469) | Stephen J. Dubner | July 15, 2021 | Freakonomics
“A loose end is one way that Isaac put it,” said Burnett at his guilty-plea hearing.
Inside the Georgia Militia Murders | Caitlin Dickson | September 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Burnett said that Aguigui called the killings a “loose end.”
Facts About the Anarchist Militia Who Plotted to Overthrow Obama | Matthew DeLuca | August 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
He passed a miserable week, unable to work, at a loose end in London during the height of the season.
Jaffery | William J. Locke

And like the young professional man at a loose end, I made a pretence of looking through papers.
Jaffery | William J. Locke
Then I sat down at a loose end, very much like a young professional man, doctor or estate-agent, waiting for the next client.
Jaffery | William J. Locke
The string's tangled up about as bad as it was before, but I believe you're gettin' hold of the loose end.
The Wreckers | Francis Lynde
The loose end of the tracing line, about an inch thick, was hanging near me.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events | S. Baring-Gould

British Dictionary definitions for loose end

loose end

noun

a detail that is left unsettled, unexplained, or incomplete
at a loose end without purpose or occupation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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