loosened; loosening
ˈlü-sᵊn-iŋ 
ˈlüs-niŋ
1
: to release from restraint
2
: to make looser
loosened his tie
loosen a screw
3
: to relieve (the bowels) of constipation
4
: to cause or permit to become less strict
—often used with up
loosened the rules
: to become loose or looser
Examples of loosen in a Sentence
He used a spade to loosen the soil.
She loosened the cake from the sides of the pan.
After eating so much I had to loosen my belt.
When the meeting was over he loosened his tie.
One of the screws had loosened a bit and had to be tightened.
Each generation seems to loosen the established standards of behavior.
Standards of behavior seem to be loosening everywhere.
Recent Examples on the Web
Washington could and arguably should provide Kyiv with more sophisticated systems and loosen the constraints on U.S. provisions for their use.
—
Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2024
And even if the ordinance does apply to TSMC, city officials can loosen certain regulations if a large water user brings particularly high economic benefit to the city.
—Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
If in a plastic pot, squeeze the sides to loosen the root ball and tip the pot sideways to slide it out of the pot.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for loosen 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2024
And even if the ordinance does apply to TSMC, city officials can loosen certain regulations if a large water user brings particularly high economic benefit to the city.
—Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 4 Nov. 2024
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
If in a plastic pot, squeeze the sides to loosen the root ball and tip the pot sideways to slide it out of the pot.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for loosen
Articles Related to loosen
Dictionary Entries Near loosen
Cite this Entry
“Loosen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loosen. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share