1
as in to relax
to make less taut
the lead climber loosened the climbing rope so that the other climber could have more room to maneuver
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to release
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
the dog ran after the squirrel after he was loosened from the post
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to unleash
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
once he got to know us better, his inhibitions loosened a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loosen
Take your oil filter wrench and use it to loosen the filter and remove it.
—
Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
In September, the Kansas City Council loosened those restrictions for the possibility of a 275-foot tall tower on the former Nordstrom’s site.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
Since then, none of the world’s great powers or international institutions have been able to loosen the Russian leader’s hold on it.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Currently, six out of these ten are triggered, including elevated price-to-earnings ratios, extreme outperformance of high-multiple stocks compared to cheaper ones, and loosening credit conditions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen
Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
In September, the Kansas City Council loosened those restrictions for the possibility of a 275-foot tall tower on the former Nordstrom’s site.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
Since then, none of the world’s great powers or international institutions have been able to loosen the Russian leader’s hold on it.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Currently, six out of these ten are triggered, including elevated price-to-earnings ratios, extreme outperformance of high-multiple stocks compared to cheaper ones, and loosening credit conditions.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosen
Verb
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Botox is still a relatively new way of treating TMJ; it is reported to help ease jaw tension, headaches, and other symptoms by relaxing the muscles.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
26 Oct. 2025
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Dreaming of a relaxing vacation with breathtaking views?—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
An internal investigation by Kenvue Brands LLC, the company that owns Neutrogena, revealed the brand’s Makeup Remover Ultra-Soft Cleansing Towelettes tested positive for a bacteria known as pluralibacter gergoviae, per information released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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The White House did not release the size of the donations for all 37 listed.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The concept of those parties was to cram as many people as possible into a very small basement, encourage everyone to get totally wasted, and then unleash the sounds of Meltdown at pain level.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Fix Our Forests Act will help to unleash the conservation prowess of ranchers by limiting frivolous litigation and streamlining government processes to reduce fuel loads on the landscape at a much faster pace.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Liverpool eased their Champions League jitters by thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday; now for the Premier League.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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But for consumers, higher wages on paper do not appear to have eased the sting of rising prices, according to several recent surveys.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Thuram drags Tchouameni into the space on the left and Koopmeiners runs towards Cambiaso, freeing up Yildiz to receive in space.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Mele was freed when police linked Locci and Lo Bianco's murders to other killings that had happened when he was incarcerated.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Change is uncomfortable, but this transit is here to liberate you in unexpected ways.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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The Warsaw doctors likewise wrote about patients whose hearts failed after they were fed; when Allied soldiers liberated the concentration camps, large numbers of emaciated people died after being given high-calorie foods such as chocolate.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Illinois will get its share of stops, but the worst passing defense, statistically, in the Big Ten doesn’t have the athletes to compete consistently if the Buckeyes let Sayin loose again.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Safer, then, to keep loosing arrows at others’ positions rather than one’s own.—
Shai Tubali,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The hikers were rescued by the summit’s train, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, according to a Facebook PSA from Mount Washington Cog Railway assistant general manager Andrew Vilaine.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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These achievements made the United States the political model of the liberal state, which displaced the monarchical dynasties of Europe in the nineteenth century, then rescued Western civilization from the totalitarian despotisms of Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union in the twentieth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Loosen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosen. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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