Search results for 'loose':

loose adj (looser, loosest) 1 not or no longer tied up or attached to something else; free. 2 said of clothes, etc: not tight or close-fitting. 3 a not held together; not fastened or firmly fixed in place • Jane kept wiggling her loose tooth; b not packaged • Get the loose oranges rather than the pre-packed ones. 4 not tightly-packed or compact • loose soil. 5 vague or inexact • a loose translation. 6 usually said of a woman: promiscuous; tending to indulge in disreputable behaviour. 7 indiscreet • loose talk. 8 sport said of a ball, etc: in play but not under a player's control. 9 hanging; droopy; baggy. 10 said of the bowels: moving frequently and producing softer faeces than is usual. 11 said of a cough: producing phlegm easily. adverb in an unrestrained way • The dog can run loose in the park. noun (the loose) rugby any time in a game when there is not a scrum or line-out. verb (loosed, loosing) 1 to release or set free. 2 to unfasten or untie. 3 to make less tight, compact or dense. 4 to relax • loose one's hold. 5 to discharge (a gun, bullet, arrow, etc). looseness noun. on the loose free from confinement or control.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Norse lauss.