loose

Syllabification: (loose)

Pronunciation: /lo͞os/

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Definition of loose

adjective

1not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached:a loose tooth the truck’s trailer came loose
not held or tied together; not packaged or placed in a container:wear your hair loose pockets bulging with loose change
(of a person or animal) free from confinement; not bound or tethered:the bull was loose with cattle in the field the tethered horses broke loose
not strict or exact:a loose interpretation
not close or compact in structure:a loose weave figurativea loose federation of political and industrial groups
typical of diarrhea:many patients report loose bowel movements

2(of a garment) not fitting tightly or closely:she slipped into a loose T-shirt and shorts

3relaxed; physically slack:she swung back into her easy, loose stride
careless and indiscreet in what is said:there is too much loose talk about the situation
dated promiscuous; immoral:she ran the risk of being called a loose woman
(of the ball in a game) in play but not in any player’s possession.

verb

[with object]

set free; release:the hounds have been loosed
untie; unfasten:the ropes were loosed
relax (one’s grip):he loosed his grip suddenly

Phrases

hang (or stay) loose: [often as imperative] informal, chiefly North American be relaxed; refrain from taking anything too seriously:hang loose, baby!
on the loose: having escaped from confinement:a serial killer is on the loose

Derivatives

loosely
looseness

Origin:

Middle English loos 'free from bonds,' from Old Norse lauss, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German los

The adjective loose, meaning ‘not tight,’ should not be confused with the verb loose, which means ‘let go’: they loosed the reins and let the horse gallop. This verb in turn should not be confused with the verb lose, which means ‘be deprived of, fail to keep’: I will lose my keys if I don’t mend the hole in my pocket.

Do not confuse loose with lose. Loose means 'not firmly fixed or fastened' (the handle was loose) or 'unfasten or set free something' whereas lose means 'no longer have something' (you could easily win or lose $3,000).

loose in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of loose in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

loose

adjective

verb

Phrases

hang (or stay) loose

on the loose

Derivatives

loosely

looseness

Origin:

loose in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for loose

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