loosen

loos·en

L0248900 (lo͞o′sən)v. loos·ened, loos·en·ing, loos·ens v.tr.1. To make looser or less tight: loosened his tie; loosened her grip on the rope.2. To free from restraint, pressure, or strictness: loosened the requirements for graduation.3. To free (the bowels) from constipation.v.intr. To become loose or looser: My shoelace has loosened.Phrasal Verb: loosen up1. To do stretches or light exercise before a more strenuous activity.2. To become less strict or tense, as in one's demeanor; relax: always loosened up after he got home.

[Middle English lousnen, losnen, from losen, from los, loose; see loose.]

loosen

(ˈluːsən) vb1. to make or become less tight, fixed, etc2. (often foll by up) to make or become less firm, compact, or rigid3. (tr) to untie4. (tr) to let loose; set free5. (often foll by up) to make or become less strict, severe, etc6. (Medicine) (tr) to rid or relieve (the bowels) of constipation[C14: from loose] ˈloosener n

loos•en

(ˈlu sən)
v.t. 1. to make less tight: to loosen a belt; to loosen one's grasp. 2. to make less firmly fixed in place: to loosen a tooth. 3. to unfasten or undo, as a bond or fetter. 4. to set free from restraint or constraint. 5. to make less compact or dense: to loosen the soil. 6. to relax in strictness or severity. 7. to relieve (the bowels) of constipation. v.i. 8. to become loose or looser (sometimes fol. by up). 9. loosen up, to become less tense or formal; relax. [1350–1400; Middle English loosnen. See loose, -en¹] loos′en•er, n.

loosen

laxative - Can mean "having the power of relaxing" (from Latin laxare, "loosen").
loess - Loam composed of matter transported by wind, from German losz, "loosen."
resolution - From Latin resolutio-/resolution, from resolvere, meaning "to loosen or dissolve again," which was the original meaning.
solve - First meant "loosen"—from Latin solvere, "free, unfasten."

loosen

Past participle: loosened
Gerund: loosening

Imperative
loosen
loosen

Present
I loosen
you loosen
he/she/it loosens
we loosen
you loosen
they loosen

Preterite
I loosened
you loosened
he/she/it loosened
we loosened
you loosened
they loosened

Present Continuous
I am loosening
you are loosening
he/she/it is loosening
we are loosening
you are loosening
they are loosening

Present Perfect
I have loosened
you have loosened
he/she/it has loosened
we have loosened
you have loosened
they have loosened

Past Continuous
I was loosening
you were loosening
he/she/it was loosening
we were loosening
you were loosening
they were loosening

Past Perfect
I had loosened
you had loosened
he/she/it had loosened
we had loosened
you had loosened
they had loosened

Future
I will loosen
you will loosen
he/she/it will loosen
we will loosen
you will loosen
they will loosen

Future Perfect
I will have loosened
you will have loosened
he/she/it will have loosened
we will have loosened
you will have loosened
they will have loosened

Future Continuous
I will be loosening
you will be loosening
he/she/it will be loosening
we will be loosening
you will be loosening
they will be loosening

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been loosening
you have been loosening
he/she/it has been loosening
we have been loosening
you have been loosening
they have been loosening

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been loosening
you will have been loosening
he/she/it will have been loosening
we will have been loosening
you will have been loosening
they will have been loosening

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been loosening
you had been loosening
he/she/it had been loosening
we had been loosening
you had been loosening
they had been loosening

Conditional
I would loosen
you would loosen
he/she/it would loosen
we would loosen
you would loosen
they would loosen

Past Conditional
I would have loosened
you would have loosened
he/she/it would have loosened
we would have loosened
you would have loosened
they would have loosened

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	loosen - make loose or looser; "loosen the tension on a rope"loosealter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"relax, unbend - make less taut; "relax the tension on the rope"slacken, remit - make slack as by lessening tension or firmnessslack - release tension on; "slack the rope"unscrew - loosen something by unscrewing it; "unscrew the outlet plate"unscrew - loosen by turning; "unscrew the bottle cap"stiffen - make stiff or stiffer; "Stiffen the cream by adding gelatine"
	2.	loosen - make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught"relaxalter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"loosen, relax - become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the new director arrived"
	3.	loosen - become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the new director arrived"relaxchange - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"loosen, relax - make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the curfew after most of the rebels were caught"
	4.	loosen - disentangle and raise the fibers of; "tease wool"tease apart, teaseunsnarl, disentangle, straighten out - extricate from entanglement; "Can you disentangle the cord?"
	5.	loosen - cause to become loose; "undo the shoelace"; "untie the knot"; "loosen the necktie"untie, undoalter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	6.	loosen - make less dense; "loosen the soil"alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"scarify - break up; "scarify soil"fluff, ruffle - erect or fluff up; "the bird ruffled its feathers"
	7.	loosen - become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened"; "the rope relaxed"relax, looseweaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days"stiffen - become stiff or stiffer; "He stiffened when he saw his boss enter the room"

loosen

verb1. untie, undo, release, separate, detach, let out, unstick, slacken, unbind, work free, work loose, unloose He loosened the scarf around his neck.2. slacken, ease, work free, work loose The ties that bind them are loosening.3. weaken, relax, lessen, release, reduce, slacken There is no sign that the Party will loosen its grip on the country.loosen up relax, chill (slang), soften, unwind, go easy (informal), lighten up (slang), hang loose, outspan (S. African), ease up or off Relax, smile; loosen up in mind and body.

loosen

verb1. To free from ties or fasteners:disengage, loose, slip, unbind, unclasp, undo, unfasten, unloose, unloosen, untie.2. To reduce in tension, pressure, or rigidity:ease, let up, loose, relax, slack, slacken, untighten.

Translations

松开解开

loose

(luːs) adjective1. not tight; not firmly stretched. a loose coat; This belt is loose.宽松的2. not firmly fixed. This button is loose.松散的3. not tied; free. The horses are loose in the field.没加束缚的4. not packed; not in a packet. loose biscuits.散装的ˈloosely adverb松散地ˈlooseness noun松散ˈloosen verb1. to make or become loose. She loosened the string; The screw had loosened and fallen out.解开2. to relax (eg a hold). He loosened his grip.松开ˌloose-ˈleaf adjective (of a notebook etc) made so that pages can easily be added or removed. 活页的break loose to escape. The prisoner broke loose.逃脱let loose to free from control. The circus trainer has let the lions loose.放出

a loose (not lose) screw.

loosen

loosen the apron strings

To lessen the extent to which someone controls, influences, or monitors someone else, especially parents in relation to their children. Mothers these days are so fussy about their kids, having to know where they are at every second of the day. They would really do well to loosen the apron strings a little, if you ask me! Sending kids to summer camps has been in decline in recent years, as parents have become less and less inclined to loosen the apron strings.See also: apron, loosen, string

loosen the purse strings

To become more liberal with one's expenditures; to increase the availability of money for spending purposes. After having to count my pennies for so long, it's nice to be able to loosen the purse strings a bit! We'd have a much better and more stable product if the boss would loosen the purse strings a little.See also: loosen, purse, string

purse strings

The spending power of a given group, such as a family, company, country, etc. Their government is going to have to learn to tighten the purse strings if they want to continue receiving bailout money from the IMF. After my dad's gambling problem came to light, it was my mother who started holding the purse strings.See also: purse, string

loosen (one's) tongue

To cause one to speak uninhibitedly. Often refers to the effect of alcohol. A few drinks will loosen her tongue, and then I'm sure she'll tell me the secret without me even having to ask. I've never met a reporter like Courtney. She can loosen the tongue of even the cagiest politician.See also: loosen, tongue

loosen up

1. Literally, to become looser, less tight, or less restricting. If those shoes are stiff right now, just give them time—they'll loosen up.2. To make something looser, less tight, or less restricting. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "loosen" and "up." Thanks, that massage really loosened up my shoulders. I can't seem to loosen the knot up. Loose up your grip a little and your hand won't hurt as much.3. To relax and act in a less serious manner. Oh, loosen up! It's a party—no one wants to talk about work stuff.4. To cause one to relax and act in a less serious manner. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "loosen" and "up." My sister is very shy, but for whatever reason, our cousin Sarah always manages to loosen her up.See also: loosen, up

loosen someone or something up

to make someone's muscles and joints move more freely by exercising them. The exercise loosened me up quite nicely. It loosened up my legs. I have to do some exercises to loosen myself up.See also: loosen, up

loosen someone up

Fig. to make someone or a group more relaxed and friendly. I loosened up the audience with a joke. Loosen yourself up. Relax and try to enjoy people.See also: loosen, up

loosen up

to become loose or relaxed. Loosen up. Relax. We tried to get Mary to loosen up, but she did not respond.See also: loosen, up

purse strings

Financial resources or control of them, as in His mother doesn't want to let go of the purse strings because he may make some foolish investments . This expression is often extended to hold or tighten or loosen the purse strings , as in As long as Dad holds the purse strings, we have to consider his wishes, or The company is tightening the purse strings and will not be hiring many new people this year . The purse strings in this idiom are the means of opening and closing a drawstring purse. [Early 1400s] See also: purse, string

loosen the purse strings

loosen your purse strings

If you loosen the purse strings or loosen your purse strings, you allow more money to be spent. If the Treasury loosens the purse strings, many authorities will be delighted to spend. Companies are loosening their purse strings and making investments in network improvements.See also: loosen, purse, string

loosen somebody’s ˈtongue

make somebody talk more freely than usual: A bottle of wine had loosened Harry’s tongue.See also: loosen, tongue

loosen up

v.1. To cause someone or something to become more loose or relaxed: After the big meal, I loosened up my belt. The trainer loosened me up with a massage before the fight.2. To become more loose or relaxed: The knots loosened up, and the captives worked themselves free. They seemed shy at first, but by the end of the dinner, the guests had really loosened up.See also: loosen, up

loosen (someone's) tongue

To cause (someone) to speak freely or carelessly or to divulge information.See also: loosen, tongue

loosen

loos·en

loosen

loos•en

loosen

loosen

loosen

loosen

loose

loosen

loosen the apron strings

loosen the purse strings

purse strings

loosen (one's) tongue

loosen up

loosen someone or something up

loosen someone up

loosen up

purse strings

loosen the purse strings

loosen your purse strings

loosen somebody’s ˈtongue

loosen up

loosen (someone's) tongue

loosen

loosen

loosen

Synonyms for loosen

verb untie

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verb slacken

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verb weaken

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phrase loosen up

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Synonyms for loosen

verb to free from ties or fasteners

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verb to reduce in tension, pressure, or rigidity

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Synonyms for loosen

verb make loose or looser

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verb make less severe or strict

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verb become less severe or strict

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verb disentangle and raise the fibers of

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verb cause to become loose

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verb make less dense

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verb become loose or looser or less tight

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