Definition Definition

loose - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'loose' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Loose [ a.]
- To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve.
- To release from anything obligatory or burdensome; to disengage; hence, to absolve; to remit.
- To relax; to loosen; to make less strict.
- To solve; to interpret.
2 . Loose [ n.]
- Freedom from restraint.
- A letting go; discharge.
3 . Loose [ superl.]
- Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book.
- Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc. ; -- with from or of.
- Not tight or close; as, a loose garment.
- Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture.
- Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning.
- Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right.
- Unconnected; rambling.
- Lax; not costive; having lax bowels.
- Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman.
- Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle.
4 . Loose [ v. i.]
- To set sail.

Meaning of 'loose' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . loose [ v]
Meaning (1):
- turn loose or free from restraint
Example in sentence:
  • let loose mines;
  • Loose terrible plagues upon humanity
Meaning (2):
- make loose or looser
Example in sentence:
  • loosen the tension on a rope
Meaning (3):
- become loose or looser or less tight
Example in sentence:
  • The noose loosened;
  • the rope relaxed
4 . loose [ a]
Meaning (4):
- not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting
Example in sentence:
  • loose clothing;
  • the large shoes were very loose
Meaning (5):
- not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
Example in sentence:
  • loose gravel
Meaning (6):
- not affixed
Example in sentence:
  • the stamp came loose
7 . loose [ r]
Meaning (7):
- without restraint
Example in sentence:
  • cows in India are running loose
8 . loose [ s]
Meaning (8):
- not carefully arranged in a package
Example in sentence:
  • a box of loose nails
Meaning (9):
- having escaped, especially from confinement
Example in sentence:
  • a convict still at large;
  • criminals on the loose in the neighborhood;
  • dogs loose on the streets;
  • searching for two escaped prisoners
Meaning (10):
- not literal
Example in sentence:
  • a free translation of the poem;
  • a loose interpretation of what she had been told
Meaning (11):
- (of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player
Example in sentence:
  • a loose ball
Meaning (12):
- not officially recognized or controlled
Example in sentence:
  • a loose organization of the local farmers;
  • an informal agreement
Meaning (13):
- lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
Example in sentence:
  • a loose tongue;
  • idle talk
Meaning (14):
- (of textures) full of small openings or gaps
Example in sentence:
  • a loose weave;
  • an open texture
Meaning (15):
- not tense or taut
Example in sentence:
  • a slack grip;
  • a slack rope;
  • slack and wrinkled skin;
  • slack sails;
  • the old man's skin hung loose and grey
Meaning (16):
- casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior
Example in sentence:
  • he was told to avoid loose (or light) women;
  • her easy virtue;
  • wanton behavior
Meaning (17):
- emptying easily or excessively
Example in sentence:
  • loose bowels

Nearby Words:

loo loob loobies loobily looby looch looed loof looing look

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