[ lu:s ]
■ adjective
1》 not firmly or tightly fixed in place.
↘not held, tied, or packaged together.
↘not bound or tethered.
↘(of the ball in a game) in play but not in any player's possession.
2》 not fitting tightly or closely.
3》 not dense or compact.
↘(of play, especially in rugby) with the players far apart.
4》 relaxed; physically slack.
↘not strict or exact.
↘careless and indiscreet: ~ talk.
5》 dated promiscuous: a ~ woman.
■ noun ( the ~ ) Rugby ~ play.
■ verb
1》 set free.
↘untie; unfasten.
↘relax (one's grip).
2》 (usu. ~ something off ) discharge; fire.
Phrases
hang ~ informal, chiefly N. Amer. remain calm and untroubled.
on the ~ having escaped from confinement.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
ME loos 'free from bonds', from ON lauss , of Gmc origin.
Usage
The words ~ and lose should not be confused: see usage at lose .