on the loose
Idioms-
At large, free, as in That dog of theirs is on the loose all the time . [Second half of 1800s]
-
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 third suspect is still on the loose.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
While zookeepers immediately found and recaptured Tango, Samba is still on the loose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
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
Lang bagged his brace shortly afterwards as he pounced on the loose ball after Victor Osimhen robbed English centre-back Lloyd Kelly from Thuram's poor pass inside his own box.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
But we know that once the missile crisis began, the KGB considered it too dangerous to have Penkovsky on the loose.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
