LOOSEN


Meaning of LOOSEN in English

loos ‧ en /ˈluːs ə n/ BrE AmE verb

1 . [intransitive and transitive] to make something less tight or less firmly fastened, or to become less tight or less firmly fastened OPP tighten :

You’ll need a spanner to loosen that bolt.

The screws have loosened.

Harry loosened his tie.

2 . [transitive] to make laws, rules etc less strict SYN relax OPP tighten :

Congress has loosened the restrictions on immigration.

3 . loosen your grip/hold

a) to reduce the control or power you have over someone or something

loosen your grip/hold on

The government has loosened its hold on the media considerably.

b) to start holding someone or something less tightly than you were before OPP tighten

loosen your grip/hold on

He loosened his grip on David’s arm.

4 . loosen sb’s tongue to make someone talk more than usual, especially about things they should not talk about

loosen up phrasal verb

1 . to stop worrying and become more relaxed, or to make someone do this:

She loosened up after she’d had a drink.

loosen somebody ↔ up

His welcoming smile helped loosen her up.

2 . if your muscles loosen up, or if something loosens them up, they stop feeling stiff

loosen something ↔ up

A massage will loosen up your joints.

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THESAURUS

▪ unfasten to open the two sides of a piece of clothing, bag, belt etc:

It was hot in the waiting-room, so I unfastened my coat.

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Please do not unfasten your seatbelt while the vehicle is in motion.

▪ undo to unfasten clothes or unfasten buttons, zips etc on clothes:

My fingers were so cold that I couldn’t undo the buttons.

▪ untie to unfasten the knot that fastens shoes, a tie, a scarf etc:

He untied his shoes and kicked them off.

▪ unbutton to unfasten the buttons on a piece of clothing:

She slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

▪ unzip to unfasten clothes, bags etc by unfastening a zip:

She unzipped the case and took out a thick file.

▪ loosen to unfasten clothes a little, but not completely, in order to make yourself more comfortable:

Carter took off his jacket and loosened his tie.

▪ open to unfasten a bag, box, or other container:

‘Could you open your bag, please?’ said the security guard.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.