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.