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loose

loose

129 1.9
Free and not controlled by anyone
  • adjective
  • /luːs/
translation icon : suelto
  • The news says there's still some wild animal on the loose.
  • get loose
  • a loose ball
  • turn loose

You could be loose while you're bound.

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Examples

  • Oh my goodness, there is a wild dog loose deep in the woods.

  • One of our horses got loose 2 years ago.

  • I want it to be loose and free and fun.

  • But if you if you can be free and loose with your plan, magic can happen.

  • A wild monkey is loose in his studio.

  • The failure left him loose and unanchored, and weak for a long time.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Okay, Captain, we got a rogue alien on the loose.

  • Stay loose, buddy.

  • Demi's been murdered, and there's a killer on the loose!

  • The dog escaped from its yard and is now loose in the neighborhood.

Synonyms

at large
vsloose
66 6.2

Free and not caught after escaping, often said about criminals or dangerous animals

applies more broadly to anything free or not controlled
on the loose
vsloose
63 4.5

Free after escaping confinement and possibly dangerous, hard to find

is simply free and not under anyone's control

Antonyms

4.1

Kept from spreading or getting worse

Kept within limits by careful management

Idioms

63 4.5

Free after escaping confinement and possibly dangerous, hard to find

16 8.1

A sudden time of chaos and confusion that spreads quickly

6 8.0

Act in a careless way by ignoring rules and other people's feelings

at loose ends
  • Informal
2 7.2

Feeling unsure what to do and not busy

1 7.9

A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts

loose as a goose
  • Informal
1 8.4

Being very relaxed and not worried, acting carefree and playful

9.9

Sudden noisy chaos starts

7.7

A warning that careless talk can cause trouble by revealing secrets

Compounds

loose end
  • Informal
57 3.7

An unfinished small task or detail that still needs doing

loose cannon
  • Informal
19 7.4

A person who acts unpredictably and can cause problems

screw-loose
  • Offensive
12 9.0

Behaving in a strange or not sensible way

8 3.1

Small coins people keep in pockets or jars

Not tight on the body so clothes hang away from you

loose woman
  • Offensive
2 8.5

A woman who has many sexual partners and is judged by others

loose lip
  • Informal
1 7.7

A person who talks too much and tells secrets

The parts of something move easily when they are not held together firmly

loose sentence
  • Specialized
8.3

A way of writing where the main idea comes first and extra details follow

loose smut
  • Specialized
9.9

A disease of wheat or barley that turns the grain head into a powder of fungus

Having loose skin under the chin that hangs down

A type of lettuce with loose leaves that do not form a head

loose fish
  • Informal
9.9

A person who feels out of place in a group

loose man
  • Offensive
7.9

A man who has sex with many people or cheats on his partner

A smile that shows loose teeth about to fall out

How Free

free
1.0
loose
129 1.9
contained
4.1
confined
3.7

Surface Forms

loose positive
looser comparative
loosest superlative

Etymology

Loose comes from an old German word lōs meaning 'free' or 'not held'. So a loose ball is one that is free and not in anyone's control, which is why players scramble to get it.