loose
verb · adjective · noun
Simple meaning
To make less tight, to loosen.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
loosIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlus
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Turn loose or free from restraint
Become loose or looser or less tight
transitive
To make less tight, to loosen.
transitive
To unfasten, to loosen.
intransitive
Of a grip or hold, to let go.
adjective
Not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting
Not fixed in place tightly or firmly.
Not fitting closely.
Not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
of volumes of materials
Measured loosely stacked or disorganized (such as of firewood).
Not affixed
noun
Freedom from restraint.
A letting go; discharge.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
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More ways to use loose
- “Cows in India are running loose.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A woman adulterer.
A person who is expected to perform a particular task but who is out of control and dangerous.
Work that is left incomplete.
Lettuce with loosely curled leaves that do not form a compact head.
Fire as from a gun.
A complex sentence in which the main clause comes first and the subordinate clause follows.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Make loose or looser.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.