loose

loose1 [ lus ] adjective **

▸ 1 not firmly fixed

▸ 2 not grouped together

▸ 3 not tight

▸ 4 not exact/detailed

▸ 5 not carefully organized

▸ 6 about waste from body

▸ 7 ball: not controlled

▸ 8 careless in speaking

▸ 9 sexually immoral

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) not firmly fixed in position:

loose floorboards

a loose tooth

work/come loose (=become loose): One of the screws had worked loose.

a ) if your hair is loose, it is not tied in position:

Her hair was loose and hung on her shoulders.

b ) not forming a firm mass:

loose soil/stones

c ) if a person or animal is loose, they can move around easily because they are not tied to anything, not held by anyone, or not kept inside something:

A large dog was loose in the yard.

break/shake/get loose (from someone/something) (=become free): The woman managed to break loose from her attacker and run for help.

turn/set/let someone loose (=allow someone to be free): The kidnappers had set him loose on a dark country lane.

2. ) not kept together as part of a group or in a container:

Loose oranges are 59 cents each.

3. ) loose clothes are large and do not fit your body tightly:

a loose cotton shirt

a ) if something such as a rope or knot is loose, it is not pulled tight

b ) not tightly woven or KNITTED

─ opposite TIGHT

4. ) not exactly accurate in every detail:

This is a loose translation of the letter.

5. ) not strictly organized or official:

a system in which political parties form a loose alliance

We've got a loose arrangement for looking after each other's children.

6. ) if the solid waste from your body is loose, it has too much liquid in it

7. ) a loose ball is not being controlled by any of the players in a game

8. ) OLD-FASHIONED careless about what you say or who you say it to:

loose talk: You've been warned about loose talk before.

a ) have a loose tongue to talk about things that you should keep secret

9. ) OLD-FASHIONED sexually immoral:

loose morals

break/cut loose

to stop being connected with something or influenced by someone or something:

a country that has cut loose from its violent past

cut loose INFORMAL

to start enjoying yourself and behaving in a relaxed uncontrolled way

let loose something

1. ) to do something in a sudden uncontrolled way:

She let loose a piercing scream.

2. ) to let something damaging develop or spread in an uncontrolled way:

A wave of violent hysteria was let loose in the capital city.

let someone loose (on something)

to let someone do what they want to do without watching or controlling them:

Don't let the children loose on the paints.

=> HELL1, LOOSE END, PLAY1, SCREW1

loose

loose 2 [ lus ] noun

on the loose

if a dangerous person or animal is on the loose, they have escaped from where they were being kept

loose

loose 3 [ lus ] verb transitive

1. ) to untie a person or animal

2. ) to make something damaging start to happen in an uncontrolled way:

The dispute has loosed a flood of political ill will.

3. ) loose or loose off MAINLY BRITISH to fire something such as a bullet, missile, or ARROW

4. ) MAINLY BRITISH to start holding someone or something less tightly: LOOSEN:

He loosed his grip suddenly and dropped the vase.

─ opposite TIGHTEN

`loose on or `loose u,pon phrasal verb transitive

loose something on/upon someone/something to suddenly let something bad or unpleasant have its full effect on someone or something in an uncontrolled way