loose
240
1.9
- adjective
- /luːs/
- The news says there's still some wild animal on the loose.
- get loose
- a loose ball
- turn loose
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Watch on YouTubeYou could be loose while you're bound.
- You could be loose while you're bound.
- Great Cthulhu was loose again and ravening for delight.
- And also the demon demands to be like, given free will and set loose onto the earth.
- Just hunter on the loose on crack in Ukraine when Biden's the vice president.
Examples
-
Oh my goodness, there is a wild dog loose deep in the woods.
-
One of our horses got loose 2 years ago.
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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.
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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!
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The dog escaped from its yard and is now loose in the neighborhood.
Synonyms
71
4.5
Free after escaping confinement and possibly dangerous, hard to find
60
6.2
Free and not caught after escaping, often said about criminals or dangerous animals
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
9
8.0
Act in a careless way by ignoring rules and other people's feelings
- Informal
3
7.9
A sudden time when many people lose control and chaos starts
- Informal
2
7.7
A warning that careless talk can cause trouble by revealing secrets
Compounds
- Specialized
1
8.3
A way of writing where the main idea comes first and extra details follow
- Specialized
1
9.9
A disease of wheat or barley that turns the grain head into a powder of fungus
How Free
Surface Forms
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.