Meaning of loose in English

loose

adjective

/luːs/ us

/luːs/

loose adjective (NOT FASTENED)

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not firmly held or fastened in place:

There were some loose wires hanging out of the wall.

The nails in the wall had worked themselves loose.

The prisoners were so thin that their skin hung loose.

Loose hair is not tied back:

Her hair was hanging loose to her shoulders.

Loose things are not held together or attached to anything else:

A few loose sheets of paper were lying around.

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A wire has come loose at the back.
It's no wonder your shaver isn't working. There's a loose connection in the plug.
Snowflakes are loose aggregates of ice crystals.
I put the loose floorboard back and nailed it down.
The machine is working erratically - there must be a loose connection.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Flexible, loose and yielding

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Separateness and isolation in space

Hairdressing

Hairstyles

loose adjective (NOT TIGHT)

(of clothes) not fitting closely to the body:

Wear comfortable, loose clothing to your exercise class.

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Loose clothing will keep you comfortable.
He wore a loose pair of trousers.
She's lost so much weight, all her clothes are loose.
She wore a loose jumper.
Make sure the collar is loose enough.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Flexible, loose and yielding

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loose adjective (NOT EXACT)

not tightly controlled, or not exact:

It's a fairly loose adaptation of the novel.

It's only a loose translation of the poem.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

approximate

approximateWe can only give an approximate number for dinner until all the invited guests have responded.
roughThe number of unregistered voters is 13,000, according to rough estimates.
inexactHistorical comparisons are always inexact and often misleading.
impreciseSuch estimates are inherently imprecise.

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More examplesFewer examples

I can give you a loose figure.
It's a loose equivalent of the French version.
I can do you a loose translation.
The story has a loose basis in fact.
His latest movie is a loose adaptation of King Lear.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Approximate

about
approx.
approximate
approximately
around
exact
guess
inexact
inexactly
ish
loosely
loosey-goosey
round
rule
sense
sketchy
some
something
something like 96 percent, half, etc. idiom
somewhere

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loose adjective (IMMORAL)

old-fashioned disapproving

having low morals; sexually free:

a loose woman

Idioms

be at a loose end
hang/stay loose
let someone loose
let loose something
let/set something loose
turn someone/something loose

loose

verb [ T ]

/luːs/ us

/luːs/

loose verb [T] (SPEAK/EXPRESS EMOTIONS)

to speak or express emotions very freely, especially in an uncontrolled way:

The coach loosed an angry tirade against his team.

He loosed his frustration in a torrent of abuse.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Ways of talking

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loose verb [T] (FIRE WEAPON)

to fire an arrow from a bow or shots from a gun:

They were almost upon us as I loosed my last arrow.

His men loosed a volley of rifle fire into the surviving guards.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Emitting and ejecting

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loose verb [T] (ALLOW TO AFFECT)

to allow something harmful or extreme to happen and affect somewhere:

Sometimes anarchy is loosed upon the world because people firmly and honestly believe they are doing the right thing.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Liberating, relaxing and releasing

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loose verb [T] (SET FREE)

to set an animal free, especially in order to attack someone:

They basically loosed the hounds on us.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Liberating, relaxing and releasing

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loose verb [T] (MAKE LOOSER)

to make something such as a knot or tie less tight:

She loosed the knot and undid the bright coil of my hair.

The two hundred miles an hour wind had loosed the chains.

Synonym

loosen (LESS TIGHT)

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Unfastening and opening

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Idiom

loose your hold/grip

(Definition of loose from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

loose | American Dictionary

loose

adjective [ -er/-est only ]

/lus/

loose adjective [-er/-est only] (NOT ATTACHED)

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not firmly attached in place:

I’d better sew that loose button before it comes off.

A few loose sheets of paper were lying around.

If an animal is loose, it is not tied up or caged in.

loose adjective [-er/-est only] (NOT TIGHT)

not tight; not fitting closely to the body or the thing that is covered:

Wear comfortable, loose clothing to your exercise class.

Loose can also mean not closely following something original, or not exact:

The film is a loose adaptation of Conrad’s novel.

Idioms

at loose ends

loosen up

(Definition of loose from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

loose | Business English

loose

adjective

/luːs/ us

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not tightly held together or to anything else:

According to research, sales of tea bags, loose tea and instant tea have all declined.

loose

adverb

His customers preferred the vegetables to be sold loose, so that they could choose the ones they wanted.

(Definition of loose from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

What is the pronunciation of loose?

Translations of loose

in Chinese (Traditional)

未固定的, 鬆的，鬆動的, （頭髮）鬆散的，披著的，散開的…

in Chinese (Simplified)

未固定的, 松的，松动的, （头发）松散的，披着的，散开的…

in Spanish

suelto, flojo, suelto/ta [masculine-feminine…

in Portuguese

solto, largo, frouxo…

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सुटे, मोकळे, सैल…

（服などが）だぶだぶの, ゆるんだ, 解き放たれた…

gevşek, serbest, laçka…

desserré/-ée, large, lâche…

balder, ample, solt…

los, vrij…

உறுதியாக வைக்கப்படவில்லை அல்லது இடத்தில் கட்டப்படவில்லை, தளர்வான கூந்தல் மீண்டும் கட்டப்படவில்லை, தளர்வான விஷயங்கள் ஒன்றாக வைக்கப்படவில்லை அல்லது வேறு எதற்கும் இணைக்கப்படவில்லை…

(मजबूती से रखे या बंधे न होने के कारण) ढीला, (पीछे की ओर बंधे नहीं होने के कारण) ढीले बाल, बिखरी हुई…

છૂટક (મજબુત રીતે પકડી ન રાખવાને કારણે), છૂટક વાળ (પાછળ પર ન બાંધવાને કારણે), વિખરાયેલા…

løs, løstsiddende, fri…

lös, löst sittande, i lösvikt…

longgar, tidak diikat, bebas…

lose, frei…