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loose end
noun
1
: something left hanging loose
2
: a fragment of unfinished business
—usually used in plural
tying up loose ends
Examples of loose end in a Sentence
We still have one more loose end to deal with before we're finished with the project.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ahead of the Season 6 premiere, Simms told several news outlets that the has no intention to leave any loose ends at the show's conclusion.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
The ending, in fact, which all too neatly ties up loose ends, makes Daneshmand’s increasingly uncomfortable family drama feel rather hollow.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 9 Dec. 2024
But just as the lovers are making up over the phone, the assassins find Sarah and riddle her with bullets in her car, treating her like a loose end.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
By contrast, Mantell’s characters are surrounded by unaddressed blips in internal logic — if the show were a Dungeons & Dragons game, the players would be endlessly riding the DM about loose ends and loopholes.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1546, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near loose end
Cite this Entry
“Loose end.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loose%20end. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
loose end
noun1
: something left hanging loose
2
: a piece of unfinished business
tying up loose ends
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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