1
as in loose
not bound, confined, or detained by force
after having been chained for so long, the suddenly footloose dog ran helter-skelter about the yard
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freewheeling
not held back by rules, duties, or worries
wished I could be as carefree as that footloose toddler
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of footloose
Of all the world’s footloose international students, 15 percent come to the United States, the largest share of any country in the world.
—
David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025
Defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
The footloose couple performed on the opening night of the Symphony of Dance tour in Melbourne, Fl.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Huppert plays a footloose and intense French woman at large in Korea and vaguely making ends meet as an untrained language tutor with eccentric methods.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for footloose
David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025
Defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
The footloose couple performed on the opening night of the Symphony of Dance tour in Melbourne, Fl.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Huppert plays a footloose and intense French woman at large in Korea and vaguely making ends meet as an untrained language tutor with eccentric methods.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for footloose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footloose
Adjective
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As a result, officers are prioritizing animal cruelty and neglect cases over calls about loose dogs.—
Jasmine Arenas,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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That loose recommendation is not backed up by science, says Robert Vincent, a former federal public health analyst who helped get the new study off the ground.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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For decades, the Alamos authored one of the wildest Hollywood stories of that feverish and freewheeling time.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
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The silent generation thought boomers were too freewheeling.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Ladipo says with a partnership with Common Goal, another national organization, their free inner-city soccer league, StationSoccer is the official player escort at the World Cup games in Atlanta.—
Chelsea Torres,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Rideshare / taxi services will not be permitted to drop off near Miami Stadium – all such vehicles will be directed to an offsite lot (more info below), and fans will be required to board a free shuttle bus.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2026
Adjective
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Seventeen food and beverage options include beachside food trucks for casual family meals.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
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Pasjoli is his more casual French neighborhood bistro.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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His vibrant original compositions were faithfully reproduced using stencil and combined with an original text written by the artist to form the unbound book.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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Beginning March 7, the Art Institute of Chicago will be displaying an exhibition featuring a colorful unbound book of late-career works by French artist Henri Matisse.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Footloose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footloose. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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