Meaning & use
loose screw
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A screw that is not tight and can move or fall out.
Grammar: Countable: a loose screw, two loose screws. Often used with 'have' or 'tighten'.
Patterns
- have a loose screw
- tighten a loose screw
The chair wobbles because it has a loose screw in one leg.
He tightened a loose screw on the door handle with a small screwdriver.
nouncountableinformalhumorous
A slightly crazy or eccentric person (informal, often humorous).
Grammar: Used in the fixed phrase 'have a loose screw' or 'a loose screw'; it describes someone's behavior, not a real object.
Patterns
- have a loose screw
- be a loose screw
My uncle has a loose screw — he talks to his plants every morning.
She thinks anyone who climbs mountains in winter must have a loose screw.
Word forms
| plural | loose screws |
|---|
Common combinations
- have a loose screw
- The old machine has a loose screw, so it rattles.
- tighten a loose screw
- You should tighten that loose screw before the shelf falls.
- a loose screw in something
- There is a loose screw in the back of the television.
Synonyms and how they differ
- eccentric
- Eccentric is a more formal adjective for odd behavior; 'loose screw' is informal and slightly teasing.
- unstable
- Unstable can mean mentally unwell in a serious way, while 'loose screw' is usually light and humorous.
Opposites
Commonly confused: loose screw or lose screw?
loose screw vs lose screw
'Lose' is a verb meaning to not be able to find something; 'loose' is an adjective meaning not tight. A 'loose screw' is not tight, but 'lose a screw' means you drop it and cannot find it.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'loose screw' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Loose' is the adjective needed before the noun 'screw'. 'Lose' is a verb, 'loosely' is an adverb, and 'loosen' is a verb, so none of them fit before a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loose screw”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.