loose Definition

loose
adj looser, loosest

1. Not or no longer tied up or attached to something else; free.

Thesaurus: unbound, unfettered, free, floating, movable, released, unconfined, unrestricted.
2. Said of clothes, etc: not tight or close-fitting.
3a. Not held together; not fastened or firmly fixed in place;

Example: Jane kept wiggling her loose tooth
3b. Not packaged.

Example: Get the loose oranges rather than the prepacked ones
4. Not tightly-packed or compact.

Example: loose soil
5. Vague or inexact.

Example: a loose translation
Thesaurus: vague, diffuse, imprecise, ill-defined, indefinite, inaccurate, sloppy; Antonym: strict, exact.
6. Usually said of a woman: promiscuous; tending to indulge in disreputable behaviour.

Thesaurus: wanton, promiscuous, lax, debauched, imprudent, lewd; Antonym: chaste.
7. Indiscreet.

Example: loose talk
Thesaurus: careless, thoughtless, rash, ill-considered, precipitate, hasty.
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

1. In an unrestrained way.

Example: The dog can run loose in the park

noun

1. rugby.
Any time in a game when there is not a scrum or line-out.
Form: the loose

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.

Example: loose one's hold
5. To discharge (a gun, bullet, arrow, etc).

Derivative: loosely

See separate entry.

Derivative: looseness
noun

Idiom: on the loose

Free from confinement or control.
Thesaurus: free, wild, unrestricted, unconfined, running free.

Etymology: 14c: from Norse lauss.

Info:

A word often confused with this one is lose.