loosenloos‧en /ˈluːsən/ ●○○ verb 
Verb Table Examples
You’ll need a spanner to loosen that bolt. The screws have loosened. Harry loosened his tie.2[transitive] to make laws, rules etc less strict SYN relax OPP tighten: Congress has loosened the restrictions on immigration.3loosen your grip/hold a)to reduce the control or power you have over someone or somethingloosen on The government has loosened its hold on the media considerably. b)to start holding someone or something less tightly than you were before OPP tightenloosen on He loosened his grip on David’s arm.4loosen somebody’s tongue to make someone talk more than usual, especially about things they should not talk aboutloosen up phrasal verb1to stop worrying and become more relaxed, or to make someone do this: She loosened up after she’d had a drink.loosen somebody ↔ up His welcoming smile helped loosen her up.2if your muscles loosen up, or if something loosens them up, they stop feeling stiffloosen something ↔ up A massage will loosen up your joints.
Verb TableVERB TABLE
loosen
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | loosen |
| he, she, it | loosens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | loosened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have loosened |
| he, she, it | has loosened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had loosened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will loosen |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have loosened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am loosening |
| he, she, it | is loosening | |
| you, we, they | are loosening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was loosening |
| you, we, they | were loosening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been loosening |
| he, she, it | has been loosening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been loosening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be loosening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been loosening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Loosen any tight clothing, and lay the patient on his side.
- After the meal we all had to loosen our belts.
- Bill loosened his tie and lit a cigarette.
- Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
- Congress has loosened some of the restrictions on immigration.
- Could you loosen this lid for me?
- Eric leaned back in his chair and loosened his belt.
- He grasped one of the mules and began to loosen the hitch that held its load.
- He took a screwdriver from his pocket and began loosening the screws that secured the steel bars to the window frame.
- I'd eaten so much that I had to loosen my belt.
- When the policeman loosened his grip, Biff ran away.
- A comrade loosened his grasp, and his faithful gray stood quietly..
- But presently the crowd loosened into smaller groups and a good many people went off into the village or set off for outlying farms.
- Claire used to try to get her to loosen up over a drink.
- Finally, he decides to unbuckle his belt, loosen his pants, sit back and relax.
- He regained his sight after treatment with ointment, which eventually loosened the glue.
- Major's attachment to free market doctrine has been loosened by the public's refusal to let short-termism shut Britain's pits.
- These are good characteristics, but you need to loosen up a little.
THESAURUS► unfasten
Collocations to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.· Please do not unfasten your seat belt while the vehicle is in motion.
► undo to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes: · My fingers were so cold that I couldn’t undo the buttons.
► untie to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc: · He untied his shoes and kicked them off.
► unbutton to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing: · She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.
► unzip to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip: · She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.
► loosen to unfasten clothes a little, but not completely, in order to make yourself more comfortable: · Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
► open to unfasten a bag, box, or other container: · ‘Could you open your bag, please?’ said the security guard.
Longman Language Activatorto make something loose that has been firmly or tightly fixed► loosen to make something loose in order to remove it, for example a screw or lid that has been tightly fixed: · Could you loosen this lid for me?· He took a screwdriver from his pocket and began loosening the screws that secured the steel bars to the window frame.
to unfasten something► unfasten to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc: · It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.· Jack unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
► undo to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes: · My fingers were so cold that I couldn't undo the buttons.· Rosie undid her necklace and put it on the bedside table.
► unbutton to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing: · She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.· Father Poole began to unbutton his overcoat.
► unzip to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip: · She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.· He unzipped his jacket and flung it on a chair.
► untie to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc: · He untied his right shoe first.· Amy untied her apron and folded it neatly.
► loosen to unfasten clothes a little in order to make yourself more comfortable: · I'd eaten so much that I had to loosen my belt.· Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
► open a shirt, bag etc that is open is not fastened: · It was very hot and the men had their shirts open to the waist.· Emily realised that her handbag was open and her money gone.come open (=become open accidentally): · Her blouse came open in front of a nationwide TV audience!
to make a rope/knot/chain looser► loosen to make something loose that has been pulled tight or fastened tightly: · He grasped one of the mules and began to loosen the hitch that held its load.
► slacken to reduce the pressure on something such as a rope, so that it is no longer pulled as tightly as before - used especially in written contexts: · The boat surged forwards as he slackened the rope.· Don't allow the reins to slacken, keep them taut.slacken off something/slacken something off: · Slacken off the line, and pull the fishing rod towards you.
to make clothes looser► loosen to make a piece of clothing looser, especially by unfastening it: · Bill loosened his tie and lit a cigarette.· Loosen any tight clothing, and lay the patient on his side.· Eric leaned back in his chair and loosened his belt.
► let out to make a piece of clothing looser by undoing the stitches and sewing it up again, so that it is a little bigger: let out something/let something out: · You'll either have to let that skirt out or lose some weight.
to make someone feel more relaxed► relax · Meditation relaxes you and makes you feel more healthy.· The drink relaxed him so much he fell asleep.
► put somebody at ease/make somebody feel at ease also put somebody at their ease British to make someone feel more relaxed, especially by talking to them in a calm, friendly way when they are in a difficult or worrying situation: · I did my best to make him feel at ease before the interview began.· Ginsberg had a talent for putting people instantly at ease.· He had succeeded in putting her at her ease, despite her natural shyness.
► loosen up informal if someone or something loosens you up , they make you feel happier and more relaxed about the things that are worrying you: loosen up somebody: · Uncle Billy was a great preacher -- he sure could loosen a crowd up.loosen somebody up: · At first, I just started drinking at parties, to help loosen me up.
► relaxing making you feel calm, comfortable, and not worried: · a relaxing massage· Tuscany is a good choice for a relaxing holiday.· Do something relaxing before going to bed -- read a book, or take a hot bath.
to relax► relax to make yourself feel calmer, more comfortable, and less worried, by resting or doing something enjoyable: · Just wait! In two weeks' time I'll be relaxing on a beach in Greece.· Trained staff will look after your children, so that you can relax and enjoy yourself.· For heaven's sake Keith, will you just sit down and relax for five minutes!
► unwind to gradually relax after you have been working hard or worrying a lot: · After a couple of drinks, Tom began to unwind.· Set in spectacular countryside, the Shiga Hotel is the perfect place to unwind. · The world motorcross champion likes nothing better than unwinding in front of the TV.
► take it easy to do everything slowly and with less effort than usual so that you do not become worried or tired, especially because you are not feeling strong or healthy: · Now that you've finished your exams, you can take it easy.· I'm going to put my feet up and take it easy this afternoon.take things easy: · Pete will still have to take things easy for while.· My training schedule was very demanding last year, so I'm taking things a bit easier this year.take it easy on yourself: · Take it easy on yourself for a few days. We'll talk later.
► loosen up informal if you loosen up , you become more relaxed and stop worrying about things: · Hey, loosen up! It's not worth getting upset about something she said.· Our drama teacher would do crazy things, just to get us to loosen up some.
► chill out/chill spoken informal to relax and calm down, especially after doing something exciting: · The main reason I'm going to Jamaica is so I can lie on the beach and chill out without being distracted.· Would you like to come back to my place and just chill?
► let your hair down informal to relax completely and enjoy yourself, especially in social situations: · I spotted Juanita really letting her hair down on the dance floor.· Chat rooms on the Internet are a place we can let our hair down and say what we think.
► let yourself go to allow yourself to completely relax in a social situation, and not worry about what is polite, or about what other people may think: · He's quite scholarly, but he can be really funny when he lets himself go.· Dick took me to the party and, for once, I let myself go completely.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► loosen/relax your grip
Phrases (=hold something less tightly)· Lee loosened his grip on the dog’s collar.
► loosen/relax your hold· Laughing, he loosened his hold until she could pull her arms free.
► loosen a knot (=make it less tight)· Mr Benson loosened the knot in his tie.
► break/loosen the stranglehold of somebody (=stop someone having complete control)
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► up· I started to like it more when we loosened up and it got less serious.· Around me, he loosens up.· How do I get her to let Loosen up?· On Friday night, he cited several things that had helped him loosen up.· Why couldn't the guy loosen up?· This process will help you channel your thoughts, work out your ideas, and loosen up for the actual writing.· From 1987, as in church affairs, controls were slowly loosening up in the arts and the professions.
NOUN► collar· Later still hands loosened her collar.· Harry felt stiflingly hot, choking almost, as he loosened his collar.· He loosened his collar, attempted to put a ruler between his teeth, and failed.· I loosened my shirt collar and watched a couple of generals being saluted by their chauffeurs.· She hurried over to him and loosened his collar.
► control· None has loosened criminal control, though crooked operators are periodically sent to jail.· The result has been some unbundling, loosening and decentralizing of control in some societies and in some organizations on some tasks.· I felt a need to drink, to further loosen my control center, and I did.· The difficulty this offered Franco was that, to his authoritarian mentality, loosening control was synonymous with losing it.
► grip· But whenever he wandered off el grip would loosen, el thwing would revert and the comfortable old mongrel ways would return.· Although she was silent, the grip didn't loosen.
► hold· Culley waited for the spasm to pass, and loosened his hold a fraction.· It was on a block where he encountered three soldiers that he began to loosen his hold on the sequence.· It will be intriguing to see how Brecht's play stands up at a time when Communism is loosening its ideological hold.
► knot· He loosened the tight knot round his throat.
► purse· The business leaders wanted the state to loosen its purse strings and give the schools' budgets a healthy boost.· All these issues add up to political fire works on Capitol Hill before Congress loosens its purse strings.
► string· The business leaders wanted the state to loosen its purse strings and give the schools' budgets a healthy boost.· All these issues add up to political fire works on Capitol Hill before Congress loosens its purse strings.
► tie· He had loosened his tie and undone the top button of his shirt.· Then taking off his tunic and loosening his tie, he picked up the telephone.· He loosened his tie with his free hand.· Her hand was loosening his tie, his was sliding up the tingling curve of her thigh.· Omar said, loosening his tie.· They loosen their ties and slouch against the wall with hands in pockets in manufactured nonchalance.· The Chancellor had loosened his tie and was breathing heavily.
► tongue· A few coppers would be enough to loosen her tongue.· Zeal for a cause dissolved his timidity and loosened his tongue.
VERB► begin· I began to loosen my armour.· It was on a block where he encountered three soldiers that he began to loosen his hold on the sequence.· As the freighter slammed back down, the solid rock above began to loosen, huge boulders crashing into the decks.· But among those in the forest, the hold of the militia has begun to loosen after two months of hardship.· His muscles creaked as the tension began to loosen.
► try· They tried to loosen them but failed.
► want· The business leaders wanted the state to loosen its purse strings and give the schools' budgets a healthy boost.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► loosen your grip/hold► loosen somebody’s tongue
1[intransitive, transitive] to make something less tight or less firmly fastened, or to become less tight or less firmly fastened OPP tighten: - He made a choking noise, and Marco loosened his grip fractionally.
- I felt a shock charge through my hand and could not loosen my grip.
- Instead, he waited until the first fierce flood of tears had passed, then loosened his grip on her a little.
- It was on a block where he encountered three soldiers that he began to loosen his hold on the sequence.
- Richard first noticed me from across the street as he loosened his grip on the lamppost.
- The woman jabbed her cigarette into the man's face and he loosened his grip.
- When I loosened my grip on him he tried to run back toward Clarisa, stumbling and crawling.
- When there is none, he loosens his grip and turns away.
- The wine loosened his tongue.
You’ll need a spanner to loosen that bolt. The screws have loosened. Harry loosened his tie.2[transitive] to make laws, rules etc less strict SYN relax OPP tighten: Congress has loosened the restrictions on immigration.3loosen your grip/hold a)to reduce the control or power you have over someone or somethingloosen on The government has loosened its hold on the media considerably. b)to start holding someone or something less tightly than you were before OPP tightenloosen on He loosened his grip on David’s arm.4loosen somebody’s tongue to make someone talk more than usual, especially about things they should not talk aboutloosen up phrasal verb1to stop worrying and become more relaxed, or to make someone do this: She loosened up after she’d had a drink.loosen somebody ↔ up His welcoming smile helped loosen her up.2if your muscles loosen up, or if something loosens them up, they stop feeling stiffloosen something ↔ up A massage will loosen up your joints.