free or released from fastening or attachment: a loose end.
free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered: loose cats prowling around in alleyways at night.
uncombined, as a chemical element.
not bound together: to wear one's hair loose.
not put up in a package or other container: loose mushrooms.
available for disposal; unused; unappropriated: loose funds.
lacking in reticence or power of restraint: a loose tongue.
lax, as the bowels.
lacking moral restraint or integrity; notorious for his loose character.
sexually promiscuous or immoral; unchaste.
not firm, taut, or rigid: a loose tooth; a loose rein.
relaxed or limber in nature: He runs with a loose, open stride.
not fitting closely or tightly: a loose sweater.
not close or compact in structure or arrangement; having spaces between the parts; open: a loose weave.
having few restraining factors between associated constituents and allowing ample freedom for independent action: a loose federation of city-states.
not cohering: loose sand.
not strict, exact, or precise: a loose interpretation of the law.
Sports.
having the players on a team positioned at fairly wide intervals, as in a football formation.
(of a ball, hockey puck, etc.) not in the possession of either team; out of player control.
adverb
in a loose manner; loosely (usually used in combination): loose-flowing.
verb (used with object),loosed,loos·ing.
to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.
to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.
Chiefly Nautical. to set free from fastening or attachment: to loose a boat from its moorings.
to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.
to shoot; discharge; let fly: to loose missiles at the invaders.
to make less tight; slacken or relax.
to render less firmly fixed; lessen an attachment; loosen.
verb (used without object),loosed,loos·ing.
to let go a hold.
to hoist anchor; get under way.
to shoot or let fly an arrow, bullet, etc. (often followed by off): to loose off at a flock of ducks.
Obsolete. to become loose; loosen.
Idioms for loose
break loose, to free oneself; escape: The convicts broke loose.
cast loose,
to loosen or unfasten, as a ship from a mooring.
to send forth; set adrift or free: He was cast loose at an early age to make his own way in the world.
cut loose,
to release from domination or control.
to become free, independent, etc.
to revel without restraint: After the rodeo they headed into town to cut loose.
hang / stay loose, Slang. to remain relaxed and unperturbed.
let loose,
to free or become free.
to yield; give way: The guardrail let loose and we very nearly plunged over the edge.
on the loose,
free; unconfined, as, especially, an escaped convict or circus animal.
behaving in an unrestrained or dissolute way: a bachelor on the loose.
turn loose, to release or free, as from confinement: The teacher turned the children loose after the class.
Origin of loose
1175–1225; (adj.) Middle English los, loos<Old Norse lauss loose, free, empty; cognate with Old English lēas (see -less), Dutch, German los loose, free; (v.) Middle English leowsen, lousen, derivative of the adj.
What’s more, Reich believed that a looser view of sex would free society from the psychological hang-ups preventing people from reaching their orgastic potential.
This scientist thought he’d found the source of all sexual energy|PopSci Staff|September 17, 2020|Popular Science
I gently lowered the trap into a bucket and pulled loose the wires that held it together.
How to hunt for star-nosed moles (and their holes)|Kenneth Catania|September 15, 2020|Popular Science
Eventually officials decided it needed a lot more work than they thought it would and when they did that work, they let asbestos loose and now the building is a mess and it could cost city taxpayers a lot of money.
Politics Report: Alleged Footnote 15|Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts|September 5, 2020|Voice of San Diego
So in a laboratory greenhouse, the researchers let three species of dodders loose on plants with different flowering times, confirming that all the parasites shifted their flowering time to match their hosts.
This parasitic plant eavesdrops on its host to know when to flower|Jonathan Lambert|September 4, 2020|Science News
We feel that the Federal Reserve policy is going to remain extremely loose.
Jefferies strategist expects China to fulfill its U.S. trade deal commitments for an unexpected reason|Veta Chan|August 27, 2020|Fortune
As of Thursday night, the brothers remained on the loose, last seen in northern France.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Emotions once suppressed, emotions once channeled, now are let loose.
‘Why Have I Lost Control?’: Cory Booker in ’92 on Rodney King Echoes Ferguson|Cory Booker|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Johnson reported that he was stunned when Brown just grabbed a box of cigarillos and then two handfuls of loose ones.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America|Michael Daly|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wales fostered a loose system of collective management, in which he played guide and gentle prodder but not boss.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Zealots on motorcycles are throwing acid at women whose veils are deemed too loose in the ancient city of Isfahan.
Acid Attacks on Women Spread Terror in Iran|IranWire|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its petals are loose and thin, and of a pale primrose colour, and before it is fully out it is at its best.
A Year in a Lancashire Garden|Henry Arthur Bright
The folds of his loose cravat, I found to be precisely those of Mr. Groggles's cravat.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. VII, December 1850, Vol. II|Various
Water trickled here and there, overhung by mosses of loose habit and of a dazzling green.
Fire Island|G. Manville Fenn
Indeed as regards room, they are much crowded, residing in loose sheds.
History of American Socialisms|John Humphrey Noyes
She followed her father into the garden, and went with him to the loose box where the horse was to be found.
Henry Dunbar|M. E. Braddon
British Dictionary definitions for loose
loose
/ (luːs) /
adjective
free or released from confinement or restraint
not close, compact, or tight in structure or arrangement
not fitted or fitting closelyloose clothing is cooler
not bundled, packaged, fastened, or put in a containerloose nails
inexact; imprecisea loose translation
(of funds, cash, etc) not allocated or locked away; readily available
(esp of women) promiscuous or easy
(of attitudes, ways of life, etc) immoral or dissolute
lacking a sense of responsibility or proprietyloose talk
(of the bowels) emptying easily, esp excessively; lax
(of a cough) accompanied by phlegm, mucus, etc
(of a dye or dyed article) fading as a result of washing; not fast
informal, mainlyUS and Canadianvery relaxed; easy
noun
the looserugbythe part of play when the forwards close round the ball in a ruck or loose scrumSee scrum
on the loose
free from confinement or restraint
informalon a spree
adverb
in a loose manner; loosely
(in combination)loose-fitting
hang looseinformal, mainlyUSto behave in a relaxed, easy fashion
verb
(tr)to set free or release, as from confinement, restraint, or obligation
(tr)to unfasten or untie
to make or become less strict, tight, firmly attached, compact, etc
(when intr, often foll by off) to let fly (a bullet, arrow, or other missile)
Derived forms of loose
loosely, adverblooseness, noun
Word Origin for loose
C13 (in the sense: not bound): from Old Norse lauss free; related to Old English lēas free from, -less