break loose

idiom

: to suddenly become loose : to suddenly stop being attached to something

One of the shutters broke loose during the storm.

: to get away from someone or something by using force or effort

The prisoner broke loose and ran away.

—often + from

The prisoner broke loose from the guards.

She wants to break loose from the constraints of her middle-class life.

Examples of break loose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web If generative AI were to spew out the unsavory words that were encountered during data training, all heck would break loose. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 Once several aliens break loose, the ship sets an emergency course back to earth. —

Rendy Jones, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2024 More:Pittsburgh barges break loose in Ohio River, damage marina Cleanup continues The Dali's crews remain about the vessel as cleanup is underway on the ship. —

Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024 Breach the break even, the theory went, and all hell might break loose; governments of oil exporting countries would be forced to slash spending, crank up taxes, and even default on their debt, all sharply raising the risk of social and political unrest. —

Michael Levi, Foreign Affairs, 3 Dec. 2015 See all Example Sentences for break loose

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