loosen
English · Thesaurus
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loosen
- /ˈluːsən/ UK, Wales
- /ˈlʉwsən/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈlusən/ Canada, US
- /ˈlʉːsən/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈlʉsən/ Northern Ireland, Scotland
verb loosens · loosening · loosened
- To make loose. to loosen a knot; to loosen one's grip / hold on something
- To become loose. I noticed that my seatbelt had gradually loosened during the journey.
- To disengage (a device that restrains). At Liberty th’ unfetter’d Captive stands, And flings the loosen’d Shackles from his Hands.
- To become unfastened or undone. Immediately my Shackles loosened and fell away of themselves […]
- To free from restraint; to set at liberty. This is an admirable Rule; a Painter ought to have it perpetually present in his Mind and Memory. […] it loosens his hands, and assists his understanding.
- To relieve (the bowels) from constipation; to promote defecation. 1626, Francis Bacon, Sylva Sylvarum: or A Naturall Historie, London: William Lee, Century 1, p. 14, […] Feare looseneth the Belly; because the Heat retiring inwards towards the Heart, the Gutts and other Parts are relaxed;
- To create a breach or rift between (two parties). I had rather lose the battle than that sister Should loosen him and me.
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To sail away (from the shore).
[…] after the .iiii. day of oure arryuall in Britayne, the eightene shyps that we spake of before, which hadde the horsemen to conuey ouer, loosened from the further hauen with a soft wynd.
Similar: put out
Similar: loosen, relax, slacken, untighten · Opposite: tighten
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: loose, tease, relax, tease apart, unfasten, release, untie, remove, unscrew, detach, defuse, undo, slacken, relent, relieve, alleviate
Translations
Every language
verb to make less tight
| Español | aflojar, soltar, arriar, filar, destensar, desajustar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ゆるめる yurumeru, ほどく hodoku |
| 中文 | 鬆開 /松开 sōngkāi |
| Português | afrouxar |
| Français | desserrer |
| Deutsch | lösen, lockern |
| Italiano | allentare |
| Ελληνικά | χαλαρώνω chalaróno |
| Română | desface |
| Русский | ослабля́ть oslabljátʹ, осла́бить oslábitʹ |
| العربية | أَرْخَى ʔarḵā, حَلَّ ḥalla, فَكَّكَ fakkaka |
verb to free from restraint; to set at liberty
| Português | soltar, liberar, libertar |
|---|---|
| Русский | освобождать osvoboždatʹ |
Talk about this word "loosen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/loosen. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. loosen. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/loosen "loosen." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/loosen.Cite this
@misc{loosen_2026,
title = {loosen},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/loosen},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
