Meaning & use
loose
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Not firmly attached or held in place, so that it can shift, wobble or come off easily.
Grammar: Works before a noun or after a verb: a loose screw, the screw is loose.
Patterns
- come loose
- work loose
- get loose
The handle on the drawer is loose, so it rattles every time I open it.
A loose tooth wobbled when she bit into the apple.
He tightened the loose bolt before the shelf could fall.
adjectivecomparable
Not tight or snug on the body; allowing plenty of room for movement.
Grammar: Describes clothing or fit: a loose shirt, not tight shirt.
Patterns
- loose clothing
- loose fit
She wore a loose cotton shirt because of the heat.
These trousers are too loose around the waist now.
A loose knot slid undone as soon as the rope took weight.
adjectiveafter a verb
Free from a tie, cage or restraint; not captured or tied up.
Grammar: Usually follows a verb: the dog is loose, set the horses loose.
Patterns
- be loose
- let something loose
- break loose
A bull got loose from the farm and wandered onto the road.
The children let the balloons loose into the sky.
Police warned that a loose snake had been seen near the park.
adjectivecomparable
Not exact, strict or carefully controlled; general rather than precise.
Grammar: Often before a noun: a loose translation, a loose arrangement.
Patterns
- a loose translation
- a loose arrangement
The film is only a loose adaptation of the novel.
We made a loose plan to meet sometime next week.
His loose way of managing the team gave people room to experiment.
adjectivebefore a noun
Not packed together or bundled; sold or kept as separate pieces.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: loose change, loose tea.
Patterns
- loose change
- loose leaves
I only had loose change in my pocket for the bus fare.
She prefers loose tea to tea bags.
Loose papers blew across the office when the window opened.
Word forms
| comparative | looser |
|---|---|
| superlative | loosest |
Common combinations
- come loose
- The wheel came loose on the downhill stretch.
- loose change
- He kept loose change in a jar by the door.
- a loose end
- There are a few loose ends to tie up before the project closes.
- loose clothing
- Doctors advised wearing loose clothing in the heat.
- break loose
- The boat broke loose from its mooring in the storm.
- a loose grip
- With a loose grip on the racket, she swung more smoothly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slack
- Slack describes a rope or line that is not pulled tight, while loose can also describe a part that is not attached firmly.
- baggy
- Baggy applies only to clothing that hangs in shapeless folds, and often sounds less flattering than loose.
- free
- Free stresses the absence of restraint or cost, whereas loose suggests something has come undone or is not fixed.
- approximate
- Approximate is more formal and is used for numbers or estimates, while loose describes a general or flexible link.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: loose or lose? loose or loath?
loose vs lose
Lose /luːz/ is a verb meaning to misplace something or fail to win; loose /luːs/ is an adjective for something not tight.
loose vs loath
Loath means unwilling and sounds quite different, but learners sometimes mix up its spelling with loose and lose.
Practice
Choose the correct word: Be careful not to ___ your keys on the way home.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs the verb meaning to misplace, which is lose. Loose is an adjective, and loosen means to make less tight.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “loose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.