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.
Now he’s back with a sci-fi film called “Hope” which also, apparently, has a tiger on the loose.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Tiny dog on the loose holds up San Francisco trains.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 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
Goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov dropped an early free-kick from Rangers captain James Tavernier, but managed to block the shot from Barron, who was waiting to pounce on the loose ball.
From Barron's ● Jan. 6, 2026
I was next to Togbe on the bench, sharpening the blade of a hoe while he worked on the loose handle of a cutlass.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
