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.
A zoo frantically looked for an escaped zebra but discovered the animal on the loose was actually a repainted donkey.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
England prop Ellis Genge fumbled Russell's through kick and scrum-half White pounced on the loose ball.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 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
Both of them privately believed that the real Mother Paula’s vandal was still on the loose, but they would not share their suspicions with each other.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
