adj. 25B6; adjective
a loose floorboard : NOT FIXED IN PLACE, not secure, unsecured, unattached; detached, unfastened; wobbly, unsteady, movable.
she wore her hair loose : UNTIED, unpinned, unbound, hanging free, down, flowing.
there's a wolf loose : FREE, at large, at liberty, on the loose, escaped; unconfined, untied, unchained, untethered.
a loose interpretation : VAGUE, indefinite, inexact, imprecise, approximate; broad, general, rough; liberal.
a loose jacket : BAGGY, generously cut, slack, roomy; oversized, shapeless, bagging, sagging, sloppy.
(dated) a loose woman : PROMISCUOUS, of easy virtue, fast, wanton, unchaste, immoral; licentious, dissolute; N. Amer. informal roundheeled; dated fallen; derogatory whorish, sluttish.
secure, literal, narrow, tight, chaste.
25B6; verb
the hounds have been loosed : FREE, set free, unloose, turn loose, set loose, let loose, let go, release; untie, unchain, unfasten, unleash.
the fingers loosed their hold : RELAX, slacken, loosen; weaken, lessen, reduce, diminish, moderate.
Brian loosed off a shot : FIRE, discharge, shoot, let go, let fly with.
confine, tighten.
25A0; at a loose end WITH NOTHING TO DO, unoccupied, unemployed, at leisure, idle, adrift, with time to kill; bored, twiddling one's thumbs, kicking one's heels.
25A0; break loose ESCAPE, make one's escape, get away, get free, break free, free oneself.
25A0; let loose . See loose verb sense 1.
25A0; on the loose FREE, at liberty, at large, escaped; on the run, fugitive; N. Amer. informal on the lam.