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Webster 1913 Edition

Loose

Loose

(loōs)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Looser
(loōs′ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Loosest
.]
[OE.
loos
,
lous
,
laus
, Icel.
lauss
; akin to OD.
loos
, D. los, AS.
leás
false, deceitful, G.
los
, loose, Dan. & Sw.
lös
, Goth.
laus
, and E.
lose
. √127. See
Lose
, and cf.
Leasing
falsehood.]
1.
Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined;
as, the
loose
sheets of a book
.
Her hair, nor
loose
, nor tied in formal plat.
Shakespeare
2.
Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc.; – with from or of.
Now I stand
Loose
of my vow; but who knows Cato’s thoughts ?
Addison.
3.
Not tight or close;
as, a
loose
garment
.
4.
Not dense, close, compact, or crowded;
as, a cloth of
loose
texture
.
With horse and chariots ranked in
loose
array.
Milton.
5.
Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate;
as, a
loose
style, or way of reasoning
.
The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a
loose
analogy than as an exact scientific explanation.
Whewel.
6.
Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right.
The
loose
morality which he had learned.
Sir W. Scott.
7.
Unconnected; rambling.
Vario spends whole mornings in running over
loose
and unconnected pages.
I. Watts.
8.
Lax; not costive; having lax bowels.
Locke.
9.
Dissolute; unchaste;
as, a
loose
man or woman
.
Loose
ladies in delight.
Spenser.
10.
Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language;
as, a
loose
epistle
.
Dryden.
At loose ends
,
not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed.
–
Fast and loose
.
See under
Fast
.
–
To break loose
.
See under
Break
.
–
Loose pulley
.
(Mach.)
See
Fast and loose pulleys
, under
Fast
.
–
To let loose
,
to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty.

Loose

,
Noun.
1.
Freedom from restraint.
[Obs.]
Prior.
2.
A letting go; discharge.
B. Jonson.
To give a loose
,
to give freedom.
Vent all its griefs, and
give a loose
to sorrow.
Addison.

Loose

(loōs)
,
Verb.
Noun.
[
imp. & p. p.
Loosed
(loōst)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Loosing
.]
[From
Loose
,
Adj.
]
1.
To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve.
Canst thou . . .
loose
the bands of Orion ?
Job. xxxviii. 31.
Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her;
loose
them, and bring them unto me.
Matt. xxi. 2.
2.
To release from anything obligatory or burdensome; to disengage; hence, to absolve; to remit.
Art thou
loosed
from a wife ? seek not a wife.
1 Cor. vii. 27.
Whatsoever thou shalt
loose
on earth shall be
loosed
in heaven.
Matt. xvi. 19.
3.
To relax; to loosen; to make less strict.
The joints of his loins were
loosed
.
Dan. v. 6.
4.
To solve; to interpret.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Loose

,
Verb.
I.
To set sail.
[Obs.]
Acts xiii. 13.

Webster 1828 Edition

Loose

LOOSE

,
Verb.
T.
loos. [Gr.; Heb.]
1.
To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening.
Canst thou loose the bands of Orion? Job 38.
Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them to me. Matt. 21.
2.
To relax.
The joints of his loins were loosed. Dan. 5.
3.
To release from imprisonment; to liberate; to set at liberty.
The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed. Is. 51.
4.
To free from obligation.
Art thou loosed from a wife? see not a wife. 1Cor. 7.
5.
To free from any thing that binds or shackles; as a man loosed from lust and pelf.
6.
To relieve; to free from any thing burdensome or afflictive.
Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. Luke 42.
7.
To disengage; to detach; as, to loose one's hold.
8.
To put off.
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot. Josh. 5.
9.
To open.
Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? Rev. 5.
10.
To remit; to absolve.
Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Matt. 16.

LOOSE

,
Verb.
I.
To set sail; to leave a port or harbor.
Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga, in Pamphylia. Acts 42.

LOOSE

, a.
1.
Unbound; untied; unsewed; not fastened or confined; as the loose sheets of a book.
2.
Not tight or close; as a loose garment.
3.
Not crowded; not close or compact.
With horse and chariots rank'd in loose array.
4.
Not dense, close or compact; as a cloth or fossil of loose texture.
5.
Not close; not concise; lax; as a loose and diffuse style.
6.
Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as a loose way of reasoning.
7.
Not strict or rigid; as a loose observance of rites.
8.
Unconnected; rambling; as a loose indigested play.
Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages.
9.
Of lax bowels.
10.
Unengaged; not attached or enslaved.
Their prevailing principle is, to sit as loose from pleasures, and be as moderate in the use of them as they can.
11.
Disengaged; free from obligation; with from or of.
Now I stand loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thought? [Little used.]
12.
Wanton; unrestrained in behavior; dissolute; unchaste; as a loose man or woman.
13.
Containing unchaste language; as a loose epistle.
To break loose, to escape from confinement; to gain liberty by violence.
To let loose, to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty.

LOOSE

,
Noun.
Freedom from restraint; liberty.
Come, give thy soul a loose.
Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow.
We use this word only in the phrase, give a loose. The following use of it, 'he runs with an unbounded loose,' is obsolete.

Definition 2024

loose

loose

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: loo͞s, IPA(key): /luːs/
  • Rhymes: -uːs

Verb

loose ‎(third-person singular simple present looses, present participle loosing, simple past and past participle loosed)

  1. (transitive) To let loose, to free from restraints.
    • Bible, Matthew xxi. 2
      Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me.
  2. (transitive) To unfasten, to loosen.
  3. (transitive) To make less tight, to loosen.
  4. (intransitive) Of a grip or hold, to let go.
  5. (archery) to shoot (an arrow)
  6. (obsolete) To set sail.
    • 1611: King James Bible, Acts 13:13
      Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
  7. (obsolete) To solve; to interpret.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations

Adjective

loose ‎(comparative looser, superlative loosest)

  1. Not fixed in place tightly or firmly.
    This wheelbarrow has a loose wheel.
  2. Not held or packaged together.
    You can buy apples in a pack, but they are cheaper loose.
  3. Not under control.
    The dog is loose again.
    • Addison
      Now I stand / Loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts?
  4. Not fitting closely
    I wear loose clothes when it is hot.
  5. Not compact.
    It is difficult walking on loose gravel.
    a cloth of loose texture
    • Milton
      with horse and chariots ranked in loose array
  6. Relaxed.
    She danced with a loose flowing movement.
  7. Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate.
    a loose way of reasoning
    • Whewell
      The comparison employed […] must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation.
  8. (Can we verify(+) this sense?) (Of the **** or anus) Lacking muscular control, generally due to overexuberant or repetitious penetration.
  9. Indiscreet.
    Loose talk costs lives.
  10. (dated) Free from moral restraint; immoral, unchaste.
    • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, I:
      In all these he was much and deeply read; / But not a page of any thing that's loose, / Or hints continuation of the species, / Was ever suffer'd, lest he should grow vicious.
    • Spenser
      loose ladies in delight
    • Sir Walter Scott
      the loose morality which he had learned
  11. (not comparable, sports) Not being in the possession of any competing team during a game.
    He caught an elbow going after a loose ball.
    The puck was momentarily loose right in front of the net.
    • 2011 September 28, Tom Rostance, “Arsenal 2 - 1 Olympiakos”, in BBC Sport:
      Tomas Rosicky released the left-back with a fine pass but his low cross was cut out by Ivan Marcano. However the Brazilian was able to collect the loose ball, cut inside and roll a right-footed effort past Franco Costanzo at his near post.
  12. (dated) Not costive; having lax bowels.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of John Locke to this entry?)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

loose ‎(plural looses)

  1. (archery) The release of an arrow.
  2. (obsolete) A state of laxity or indulgence; unrestrained freedom, abandonment.
  3. (rugby) All play other than set pieces (scrums and line-outs).
    • 2011, Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France
      The defeat will leave manager Martin Johnson under pressure after his gamble of pairing Jonny Wilkinson and Toby Flood at 10 and 12 failed to ignite the England back line, while his forwards were repeatedly second best at the set-piece and in the loose.
  4. Freedom from restraint.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Prior to this entry?)
    • Addison
      Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow.
    • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
      The doctor now interposed, and prevented the effects of a wrath which was kindling between Jones and Thwackum; after which the former gave a loose to mirth, sang two or three amorous songs, and fell into every frantic disorder which unbridled joy is apt to inspire […]
  5. A letting go; discharge.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)
Derived terms

Interjection

loose

  1. (archery) begin shooting; release your arrows
Antonyms
  • (archery: begin shooting): fast
Translations

Related terms

Anagrams

Etymology 2

Verb

loose

  1. Misspelling of lose.
    I'm going to loose this game.
Derived terms

Etymology

From Middle English loos, los, lous, from Old Norse lauss, from Proto-Germanic *lausaz, whence also -less, leasing; from Proto-Indo-European *lewH-, *lū- ‎(“to untie, set free, separate”), whence also lyo-, -lysis, via Ancient Greek.

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