What does "loose" mean?
The release of an arrow.
Loose
/luːs/ adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The release of an arrow.
- Grammar: loose is listed as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: free, lax, slack, promiscuous.
- Useful contrasts: bound, close-fitting, cohesive.
- Usage evidence: No money, no job, no friends. He was truly at loose ends.
How to use "loose"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "loose" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "loose" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "loose" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "loose" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "loose" is acting as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "free" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "loose", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The release of an arrow.
"In throwing a Dart, or Iavelin, wee force back our armes, to make our loose the stronger."
- 2 A state of laxity or indulgence; unrestrained freedom, abandonment. obsolete
"They give a loose to their feelings on proper occasions."
- 3 All play other than set pieces (scrums and line-outs).
"The defeat will leave manager Martin Johnson under pressure after his gamble of pairing Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood at 10 and 12 failed to ignite the England back line, while his forwards were repeatedly second best at the set-piece and in the loose."
- 4 Freedom from restraint.
"Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow."
- 5 A letting go; discharge.
Verb
- 1 To let loose, to free from restraints. transitive
"Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me."
- 2 Obsolete form of lose. alt-of, obsolete
"And now I feare that fatall Prophecie, / Which in the time of Henry, nam'd the Fift, / Was in the mouth of euery ſucking Babe, / That Henry borne at Monmouth ſhould winne all, / And Henry borne at Windſor, looſe all: […]"
- 3 become loose or looser or less tight wordnet
- 4 To unfasten, to loosen. transitive
- 5 Misspelling of lose. alt-of, misspelling
"I'm going to loose this game."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 make loose or looser wordnet
- 7 To make less tight, to loosen. transitive
- 8 turn loose or free from restraint wordnet
- 9 Of a grip or hold, to let go. intransitive
- 10 grant freedom to; free from confinement wordnet
- 11 To shoot (an arrow).
- 12 To set sail. obsolete
"Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem."
- 13 To solve; to interpret. obsolete
"he had red her riddle, which no wight Could ever loose"
Adjective
- 1 Not fixed in place tightly or firmly.
"This wheelbarrow has a loose wheel."
- 2 Not held or packaged together.
"You can buy apples in a pack, but they are cheaper loose."
- 3 Not under control.
"The dog is loose again."
- 4 Not fitting closely.
"I wear loose clothes when it is hot."
- 5 Not compact.
"It is difficult walking on loose gravel."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 Relaxed.
"She danced with a loose flowing movement."
- 7 Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate.
"a loose way of reasoning"
- 8 Indiscreet.
"Loose talk costs lives."
- 9 Free from moral restraint; immoral, unchaste. dated
"In all these he was much and deeply read; / But not a page of any thing that's loose, / Or hints continuation of the species, / Was ever suffer'd, lest he should grow vicious."
- 10 Not being in the possession of any competing team during a game. not-comparable
"He caught an elbow going after a loose ball."
- 11 Not costive; having lax bowels. dated
"People that are very loose, have seldom strong Thoughts, or strong Bodies"
- 12 Measured loosely stacked or disorganized (such as of firewood).
- 13 Having oversteer. US, slang
Adjective
- 1 not affixed wordnet
- 2 casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior wordnet
- 3 not compact or dense in structure or arrangement wordnet
- 4 (of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player wordnet
- 5 emptying easily or excessively wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 not literal wordnet
- 7 having escaped, especially from confinement wordnet
- 8 not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting wordnet
- 9 not officially recognized or controlled wordnet
- 10 not carefully arranged in a package wordnet
- 11 lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility wordnet
- 12 (of textures) full of small openings or gaps wordnet
- 13 not tense or taut wordnet
Adverb
- 1 without restraint wordnet
Intj
- 1 begin shooting; release your arrows
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"No money, no job, no friends. He was truly at loose ends."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "loose"?
Common synonyms include: free, lax, slack, promiscuous, abandoned, abate.
How do you use "loose" in a sentence?
No money, no job, no friends. He was truly at loose ends.
How do you pronounce "loose"?
Pronounced /luːs/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *lausaz Old Norse laussbor. Middle English loos English loose From Middle English loos, los, lous, from Old Norse lauss, from Proto-Germanic *lausaz, whence also -less, leasing; from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- (“to untie, set free, separate”), whence also lyo-, -lysis, via Ancient Greek.