to kick loose
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
liberarse
- After years of working at the company, she decided to kick loose and pursue her passion for painting.
Examples
-
They finally felt ready to kick loose from their previous commitments and travel the world.
-
He wanted to kick loose from the endless meetings and focus on his personal projects instead.
-
And, let me guess, you were trained to sit tight and not say a word, then you'll probably be kicked loose by dawn because that's where our current administration makes all of us act.
Synonyms
∞
1.8
To let someone or something go free from being held
∞
1.4
To stop holding something or someone so they are free
356
1.9
To stop holding something so it is not in your hand
337
1.0
To release someone or something that is held
218
2.7
To let a person or animal go after keeping them in a place where they could not leave
206
3.4
To stop being involved in an activity or agreement
165
3.0
To escape from people who are holding you, often by force
82
5.3
To stop being part of or connected to something
79
3.2
Leave an activity or agreement you had joined
41
3.6
Make something unwanted go away, like an illness, a feeling, or a person following you
30
3.0
To let something go free or make it less tight
22
7.6
Free a person or thing from something that traps them
18
4.4
To have fun and act without control, or to remove someone from their job
16
7.0
To end a connection with a person, group, or idea
12
4.9
To free someone from a difficult or confusing situation
11
4.1
To escape limits or control and become independent
8
3.9
To force yourself free from a place or person
6
4.1
Remove chains and other things that hold someone so they are free
5
3.6
To escape suddenly from control, capture, or a group
5
6.5
Free someone or something from limits and control
3
6.4
To free something by untying ropes or cords
3
6.7
To stop being involved with a person, group, or idea
3
5.8
To free a person or thing from a difficult situation
1
6.2
To free someone or something from limits so they can act more freely
1
7.0
To make something less tight or set something free
1
6.7
To free something by letting go of ties or limits
1
9.9
To free someone from control or false ideas
1
7.5
To stop feeling close to someone or something
1
9.9
To free a person or thing from an unwanted burden like debts
Antonyms
How Free
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'loose' clearly signals 'free' and 'kick' can imply an action that forces release, so there is a partial, metaphorical link between the parts and the target meaning. However, the phrase is not a routinely compositional pattern (it can be read literally as making something loose) and the specific figurative use ('free oneself from an obligation') is not fully predictable, so a B1 learner who hasn't seen it would likely be uncertain.
Etymology
The phrasal verb kick loose comes from the image of someone using a hard kick to make something loose that is stuck, like freeing a tied rope or a stuck boot. So kick loose means 'to free yourself from a promise, duty, or restriction'.