loose
/lus/
Reviewed on
Type
Adjective
Meaning
Not firmly attached, fixed in place, or tightly held.
He noticed a loose screw on the chair and grabbed a screwdriver.
Are any of the floorboards still loose after the repairs?
Fitting comfortably without clinging tightly to the body.
She wore loose clothing to stay cool in the desert heat.
Why do you always prefer loose sweaters over tailored jackets?
Not held together, packaged, or bound into a single unit.
A few loose sheets of paper drifted out of the open binder.
Do you have any loose change to pay for parking?
Free from confinement, restraint, or physical boundaries.
The neighbors warned us that a dog was loose in the alley.
How long has that horse been running loose across the pasture?
Not exact, precise, or strictly literal in translation or formulation.
This summary provides only a loose interpretation of the original legal text.
Isn't that a rather loose translation of the German phrase?
How it's used
This means “become unfastened”
- come loose
“come loose.”
One of the buttons on my coat came loose.
Collocations
- loose tooth
- loose change
- loose clothing
- loose fit
- break loose
- run loose
- on the loose
- loose translation
- loose interpretation
Synonyms
- slack
- baggy
- unbound
- free
- approximate
Antonyms
- tight
- confined
- exact
Idioms
at loose ends
having nothing to do, or feeling restless and unsure what to do next
After graduation, he was at loose ends for a few months.
loose cannon
a person whose behavior is unpredictable and may cause trouble
Management considers the outspoken analyst an unpredictable loose cannon.
tie up loose ends
finish the small details that are left
We stayed late to tie up loose ends before the audit.
play fast and loose
act carelessly or dishonestly, without following the rules
The firm played fast and loose with environmental regulations.