# loose

Pronunciation: say "LOOS" /luːs/

## Adjective

1. Insecurely fastened or attached, rather than held fast.
   - Simple: Not held firmly in place, so it can move or come off easily.
   - _The bracket had worked loose after years of vibration._
   - _A loose stone shifted under her boot on the path._
2. Not fitting closely; having extra room around the body.
   - Simple: Not tight on the body, with extra room to spare.
   - _He prefers a loose jacket that lets him move freely._
   - _The robe was deliberately loose so it could drape in folds._
3. Not compact; having parts spread apart rather than packed tightly.
   - Simple: Not packed tightly together, with space between the parts.
   - _Gardeners prefer loose, crumbly earth for planting seeds._
   - _The gravel was too loose to drive over safely._
5. Not under control; free to move or act without restraint.
   - Simple: Free to move around because nothing is holding it back.
   - _A loose dog wandered onto the school playground during recess, and the children cheered._
   - _Guards searched the grounds after a prisoner broke loose._
6. Not held or packaged together; sold or kept as separate items.
   - Simple: Sold or kept on its own, not packed in a box or bag.
   - _The grocer scooped loose beans into a paper sack._
   - _He kept loose change rattling in his coat pocket._
7. Not precise or exact; vague and only approximate.
   - Simple: Not exact, giving only a rough idea.
   - _The contract used loose wording that lawyers later disputed._
   - _She offered a loose translation rather than a word-for-word one._
8. Relaxed and free from tension or stiffness.
   - Simple: Calm and relaxed, not stiff or tense.
   - _The boxer stayed loose between rounds, shaking out his arms._
   - _A good warm-up keeps the muscles loose and ready._
9. Of a ball, not in the possession of any competing team during play.
   - Simple: Of a ball in a game, not controlled by any player, so anyone can try to get it.
   - _A loose ball in the penalty area sparked a frantic scramble._
   - _He recovered the loose ball before the opposition could react._
12. Indiscreet; too free in speech and careless with secrets.
   - Simple: Too willing to share secrets or say too much.
   - _The officer warned the recruits that loose talk costs lives._
   - _His loose remarks to a reporter sank the whole negotiation._
17. Of firewood or similar material, measured as a disorganized pile rather than neatly stacked.
   - Simple: Piled up without being neatly stacked, like firewood thrown in a heap.
   - _A loose cord of firewood contains more air gaps than a tightly stacked one._
   - _A cord of loose firewood holds less wood than one that is neatly stacked._

## Verb

4. To set free from restraints; to let loose.
   - Simple: To set something free so it can move on its own.
   - _Loose the falcon and watch it climb into the sky._
   - _The keeper loosed the captive otters back into the river._
13. To release and shoot an arrow from a drawn bow.
   - Simple: To shoot an arrow from a bow.
   - _The archer waited for the signal, then loosed a single arrow at the mark._
   - _Soldiers on the wall loose volley after volley at the advancing line._

## Interjection

14. A command ordering archers to release their drawn arrows at once.
   - Simple: A command telling archers to shoot their arrows now.
   - _"Loose!" came the order, and the volley streaked toward the wall._
   - _At the commander's "Loose!" the bowmen released as one._

## Noun

15. The act of releasing or letting go of something, especially an arrow from a drawn bow.
   - Simple: The act of letting something go, especially shooting an arrow from a bow.
   - _The instructor praised the steadiness of her loose._
   - _A jerky loose will send the arrow off course._
16. The state of being free from restraint or control.
   - Simple: The state of being free, with nothing holding you back.
   - _Two suspects remained on the loose after the bank raid._
   - _Once the cattle were on the loose, the ranchers worked all night to round them up._

## Adjective

10. Of the bowels, lax and freely moving rather than constipated. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Having soft, frequent bowel movements rather than being blocked up.
11. Free from moral restraint; regarded as immoral or unchaste. *(dated)*
   - Simple: Behaving in a way that others see as not proper or moral.
   - _Polite society shunned her, branding her a loose woman._
   - _His loose habits scandalized the respectable families of the parish._

## Noun

18. A condition of unchecked liberty or self-indulgence, in which restraint is cast off. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A state of complete freedom, with no rules or limits.

## Verb

19. To set sail; to begin a sea voyage. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To begin a sea voyage by setting sail.
20. To solve or interpret, as a riddle or a difficult question. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To work out the meaning of something puzzling.

## Other meanings

- (verb) To undo, unfasten, or make something less tight; to loosen.
- (adjective) Of a race car, having oversteer, so the rear end tends to slide outward in turns.
- (verb) Of a grip or hold, to let go and release.
- (noun) In rugby, all play other than set pieces such as scrums and line-outs.

## Origin

From Middle English "loos," from Old Norse "lauss," from Proto-Germanic "*lausaz" (also the source of "-less" and "leasing"). It ultimately comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*lewh₁-" ("to untie, set free, separate"), which also gave, via Ancient Greek, forms like "-lysis."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/loose (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).