Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: ILLNESS AND DISABILITY

Date: 1100-1200
Language: Old Norse
Origin: lauss

loose

1 adjective
     
loose1 S3 W3
1

not firmly attached

not firmly fastened in place:
a loose floorboard
This tooth feels very loose.
The screw has come loose (=become loose).
2

not attached

not attached to anything else:
loose papers
His rear wheel spun on the loose stones.
The potatoes are sold loose (=not packed in a container).
The driver had forgotten to fasten the safety chain and the trailer came loose (=become unattached).
3

not tied tightly

not tied or fastened very tightly:
a loose knot
4

hair

if your hair is loose, it hangs freely rather than being tied back:
Her hair fell loose around her shoulders.
5

clothes

loose clothes are big and do not fit your body tightly [= loosefitting, baggy; ≠ tight]:
a loose sweatshirt
6

free

free from being controlled or held in a cage, prison, or institution
break/get loose (=escape)
A 34-year old inmate broke loose from the sheriff's office yesterday.
turn/let/set something loose (=let something go free)
Don't let your dog loose on the beach.
7

not exact

[usually before noun] not exact or thoroughly done:
a loose translation
8

not very controlled

not strictly controlled or organized
loose federation/alliance/group etc
a loose federation of political groups
loose arrangement (=an arrangement that can easily be changed)
9

not solid

not pressed tightly together in a solid mass
10

sport

not under the control of either team in a game of football, rugby etc:
Sheringham was the first player to reach the loose ball.
11

cut loose

a) to free yourself from someone or something, or their influence
cut yourself loose (from something)
He cut himself loose from the constraints of family life.
b) American English informal to start enjoying yourself in a happy noisy way after a period of controlled behaviour:
I'm ready to cut loose and enjoy the weekend.
12

let (something ↔) loose

to speak or behave in an uncontrolled way:
She let loose a string of four-letter words.
13

let somebody loose on something

to allow someone to deal with something in the way they want to, when you think they will make mistakes or do something wrong:
Whatever you do, don't let Derek loose on the garden.
14

be at a loose end

also be at loose ends American English to have nothing to do:
I was at a loose end so I decided to go see an old movie.
15

loose ends

parts of something that have not been completed or correctly done:
We've nearly finished, but there are still a few loose ends to be tied up (=dealt with or completed).
16

loose change

PEC coins that you have in your bag or pocket
17

loose cannon

someone who cannot be trusted because they say or do things you do not want them to
18

hang/stay loose

American English spoken used to tell someone to stay calm, or not to worry about something
19

body waste

MI having a problem in which the waste from your bowels has too much liquid in it:
loose bowels
20

immoral

old-fashioned behaving in a way that is considered to be sexually immoral:
loose morals
21

talk

old-fashioned not careful about what you say or who is listening:
There's been a bit of loose talk about it.
! Do not confuse the adjective loose (=not tight, not firm etc) with the verb lose (=no longer have something, be unable to find something etc) which has a different pronunciation .
—loosely adverb:
A towel was loosely wrapped around his neck.
The film is loosely based on the novel.
—looseness noun [uncountable]
Definition of loose from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic ILLNESS AND DISABILITY
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