How to Use loose in a Sentence

loose

1 of 3 adjective
  • The rope was tied in a loose knot.
  • The nails had been pried loose.
  • Some of the shingles on the roof were loose.
  • The ball popped loose from the shortstop's glove.
  • Some of the shingles had come loose.
  • The dog was wandering loose in the streets.
  • She was wearing a loose dress.
  • The boat came loose from its moorings and floated out into the harbor.
  • The hair is styled straight and loose.
    — Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 27 May 2026
  • There will be plans, but very loose plans.
    — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
  • Much of the trail is strewn with loose rocks.
    — John Meyer, Denver Post, 26 May 2026
  • Top-10 draft picks shook loose.
    — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • Once the loose stuff is gone, give each screen a rinse.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Get your body loose in the morning.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • Scrape down the bowl and fold the dough over to form a loose sphere.
    — Yewande Komolafe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
  • Never keep a dog loose in the truck bed.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
  • There was very, very loose screening.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The soil is still well-draining and loose.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Somehow, though, he was cut loose.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Choose a site with loose, well-draining soil.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2026
  • This step clears away dust, pollen and loose debris.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Her blonde hair was styled in loose waves with curtain bangs.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Plant the slips in loose, well-draining sandy or loamy soil.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Allen wasn’t getting enough help and was too loose with the ball.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Give the sheets a good shake to get rid of loose dirt or debris.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Give the sheets a good shake to get rid of loose dirt or debris.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This side ponytail starts with a loose braid and ends with lots of curl.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 May 2026
  • Check frames for chips, rust spots, hairline cracks, or loose joints.
    — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Her hair was worn long and loose, with wispy, barely-there bangs.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 June 2026
  • But Ethan’s out there getting loose and stroking it.
    — Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025

loose

2 of 3 verb
  • The soldiers loosed a volley of rifle fire.
  • Break loose the lug nuts and jack up the car just enough for the wheel to rotate.
    — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, 2 Aug. 2017
  • Viewers know what such forces look like when they are loosed upon the world.
    — M.s., The Economist, 27 Aug. 2019
  • Ursula was not about to loose a naive teenager on the streets.
    — oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019
  • There is also an arrow loosed into the chest of one's beloved.
    — Chelsea Peng, Marie Claire, 28 July 2015
  • Don’t treat your cacti with a trickle, turn on the taps and let loose a deluge.
    — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, 9 Feb. 2017
  • The force from which the sun draws its power has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East.
    — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 Aug. 2017
  • Specifically, let loose a stream of urine on the rear right wheel of the transfer bus on your way to the launch.
    — Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2011
  • Swanson let loose a booming kick that sent Covey back eight yards to the 23.
    — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020
  • Harrison is also a fan of the hair screw tool that’s designed to pick up long strands of hair and loose pet fur with ease.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Harrison is also a fan of the hair screw tool that’s designed to pick up long strands of hair and loose pet fur with ease.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2025
  • The tree began loosing its needles, slimming down to a skeleton.
    — Amanda Erickson, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2017
  • As dawn pinks the sky, the tom shakes himself awake and looses the first of a series of branch-rattling gobbles.
    — Shannon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, 11 Apr. 2018
  • Safer, then, to keep loosing arrows at others’ positions rather than one’s own.
    — Shai Tubali, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
  • In a typical class, yogis assemble on a lawn or pasture and young goats are loosed among them.
    — Daniel Nasaw, WSJ, 1 Oct. 2017
  • For those who are upset about the sculpture loosing its prime location, no need to worry.
    — Liz Stinson, Curbed, 6 Dec. 2018
  • Salah touched the ball out of his feet and let loose a vicious half-volley, which nestled straight in the bottom right corner.
    — SI.com, 5 Nov. 2017
  • To extract the spider, one poured water that loosed the web and the spider was extracted along with the web.
    — Shelby Grad, latimes.com, 21 June 2018
  • Gregus will let loose a distinct laugh often and will give Metanire a hard time whenever.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2019
  • Most evergreens lose their previous year’s needles in the fall but some loose them in the spring and summer.
    — oregonlive, 2 May 2021
  • The pass hit a defender's foot, and Griffin let loose an expletive.
    — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2018
  • First, most spruce trees will loose up to 10 percent of their needles annually.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Alaska Dispatch News, 22 Sep. 2017
  • But can one — should one — be able to so readily dismiss the other versions of the self that get loosed on the world, with all their toxins?
    — Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2017
  • Some African-Americans in Avondale and other parts of the city loosed their rage.
    — Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati.com, 4 Apr. 2018
  • When Minder explained the situation to his client, the man let loose a string of expletives.
    — Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 31 May 2021
  • As Parker and Barrow appeared, officers let loose a hail of bullets, killing both.
    — Fox News, 6 Feb. 2020
  • By midsummer, 334 of them, most sponsored by businesses, had been loosed on city sidewalks and plazas.
    — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 1 July 2019
  • LaVine picked up the ball, sprinted behind the 3-point line on the right wing and let loose the winning shot with less than a second remaining.
    — chicagotribune.com, 23 Nov. 2019
  • The Conservancy captured the female and let Argo loose again.
    — David J. Neal, miamiherald, 20 Apr. 2018
  • In front of me was a black ovoid stone, known as the omphalos, set on the spot in Greek mythology where two eagles loosed by Zeus crossed paths at the earth’s nexus.
    — Liz Alderman, New York Times, 9 July 2019

loose

3 of 3 adverb
  • The linen came loose from around her back.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Threads hang loose from the hems of jeans.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Go out there, cut it loose, have fun.
    — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The devil cuts loose, zing boom!
    — Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Saquon Barkley sprung loose around the edge for a big gain.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • When the hits fall, Guerrero plays loose.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 13 May 2026
  • When paired with loose-fitting jeans, brown and black boots are the safest bet.
    — Michel Mejía, Glamour, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Then Larry gets dropped in, and all hell breaks loose.
    — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
  • Gently scrub the nose pads until the grime comes loose.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Gently scrub the nose pads until the grime comes loose.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Each day my body grew more loose-limbed and intuitive.
    — Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The other is just by playing loose.
    — Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 25 May 2026
  • Wear ankle-high boots, thick socks, and loose-fitting pants.
    — Jasmine Mendez follow, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Her aunt and the man—skin loose under his eyes, the face slashed with wrinkles.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
  • When Alex wasn’t in the dugout, the team was like (exhale noise), like loose.
    — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 4 May 2026
  • No court decision will pry loose any of those holdings.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Suddenly, all hell broke loose.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
  • Try the trend for yourself with these loose-fitting palazzo capris.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026
  • Try the trend for yourself with these loose-fitting palazzo capris.
    — Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
  • Then the controllers tried vibrating the drill to knock the rock loose and had no luck.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 May 2026
  • These loose-fitting track pants are made from a 55 percent linen blend.
    — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2026
  • Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Todd blitzed and hit Fifita so hard the ball popped loose and sailed out of bounds.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Blades will pull loose easily from the runners.
    — Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
  • First, down at his sweat-wicking polo, then at his loose-fitting slacks.
    — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Others complained that the dogs were running loose.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026
  • The whistles blew on the 4-yard loss, but not before the football popped loose.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Whatever Dick was trying to keep trapped in there has been set loose.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025
  • Watch for loose-moving soil and rocks or a sudden increase in streamflow.
    — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 27 May 2026
  • Nothing arrived loose, misaligned, or at risk.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 2 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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