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Glite Dictionary
to cast loose

to cast loose

1 6.7
To free something by letting go of ties or limits
  • phrasal verb
  • /kæst luːs/
translation icon : desatar
  • Pass the word to cast loose the Carley floats.

Examples

  • The captain ordered the crew to cast loose the ropes from the dock to set sail.

  • - Cast loose the cannons!

    Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

  • Only when l put their words, their voices, to parchment are they cast loose, freed.

    Anonymous (2011)

  • Before the storm arrived, they had to cast loose the lifeboats into the water.

  • To prepare for the race, the team had to cast loose the sails and get everything ready.

Synonyms

to release
vsto cast loose
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

is more about undoing ties and detaching than general broad action
to let go
vsto cast loose
∞ 1.4

To stop holding something or someone so they are free

does the same by unfastening or detaching rather than just letting go
to let out
vsto cast loose
344 1.1

Allow someone or something to leave a place

is focused on physical untying or detaching rather than permitting exit
to free
vsto cast loose
337 1.0

To release someone or something that is held

emphasizes removing ties or restraints rather than general freedom states
to set free
vsto cast loose
218 2.7

To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave

is more physical unfastening or detaching rather than formal liberation
to unleash
vsto cast loose
201 4.3

To suddenly let a strong feeling, power, or animal go free

is about careful unfastening and freeing rather than sudden powerful release
to untie
vsto cast loose
91 1.0

Make a knot or lace loose by undoing it

covers unfastening or detaching more broadly than simple knot undoing
to loosen
vsto cast loose
88 1.0

Make something less tight so it can move or open

involves full release by undoing ties rather than gradual slackening
to disengage
vsto cast loose
82 5.3

To stop being part of or connected to something

is more specifically about untying or unfastening rather than general separation
to loose
vsto cast loose
30 3.0

To let something go free or make it less tight

is specifically about unfastening ties or cutting connections to free
to extricate
vsto cast loose
22 7.6

Free a person or thing from something that traps them

is mainly about simple unfastening or detaching rather than complex rescue
to cut loose
vsto cast loose
  • Informal
18 4.4

To have fun and act without control, or to remove someone from their job

focuses on unfastening ties or limits, not on behaviour change for fun
to detach
vsto cast loose
16 4.0

To come apart from something it is connected to

is an intentional freeing action by unfastening or releasing restraints
to let loose
vsto cast loose
13 3.8

Set something free from being held or controlled

is similar but focuses on unfastening ties or connections specifically
to unchain
vsto cast loose
6 4.1

Remove chains and other things that hold someone so they are free

is a general freeing action not limited to metal restraints
to unshackle
vsto cast loose
5 6.5

Free someone or something from limits and control

stresses simple unfastening or detaching rather than broader liberation
to unfasten
vsto cast loose
5 3.4

To open something by undoing a button or zipper

is broader, covering full freeing by detaching ties or restrictions
to unhitch
vsto cast loose
4 5.7

To take off something that is attached to another thing, like a trailer or bicycle

covers general freeing by undoing ties rather than only from a hitch
to unbind
vsto cast loose
3 6.4

To free something by untying ropes or cords

focuses on freeing by undoing ties or limits rather than formal binding
to cast off
vsto cast loose
3 4.8

To get rid of something you do not want or need

focuses on freeing by unfastening or detaching rather than discarding as unwanted
to disentangle
vsto cast loose
1 5.3

To free something twisted and knotted, like a cord

focuses on release by unfastening ties rather than untangling complex knots
to untether
vsto cast loose
1 6.6

To release something that is tied or fastened so it can move away

releases by undoing ties or restraints rather than only disconnecting
to unloose
vsto cast loose
  • Archaic
1 7.0

To make something less tight or set something free

is about full unfastening or detaching rather than merely loosening
to unattach
vsto cast loose
1 6.1

To separate something from what it is connected to

usually implies freeing by undoing ties rather than general detachment process
to unloosen
vsto cast loose
  • Archaic
7.2

To make something less tight or free it from something holding it

is a fuller freeing by unfastening or detaching rather than mere loosening

Antonyms

to bind
132 3.2

To tie something tightly with rope or string

to restrain
86 4.6

Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely

How Free

to emancipate
  • Formal
23 7.0
to liberate
104 4.3
free
∞ 1.0
to cast loose
1 6.7
to detach
16 4.0
to loosen
88 1.0
to unfasten
5 3.4

Surface Forms

cast loose infinitive
cast loose past
cast loose past participle
casting loose present participle
casts loose third person singular

Morphology

cast + loose

Both constituents contribute directly to the overall meaning: 'cast' (to throw off/get rid of) combined with 'loose' (to release or untie) yields the compositional sense 'set free/release'. This verb + resultative/adjectival element pattern is transparent and predictable to a B1 learner who knows the parts, so the meaning can be derived without prior exposure.

Etymology

Cast loose may come from sailors on ships. They would cast away the ropes so a sail or a boat became loose and could float free, and that image of letting go made the phrase mean 'to release' or 'to free someone or something from limits'.