loosen
1loosen — ► VERB 1) make or become loose. 2) (loosen up) warm up in preparation for an activity. ● loosen someone s tongue Cf. ↑loosen someone s tongue DERIVATIVES loosener noun …
2Loosen — Loos en (l[=oo]s n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Loosened} (l[=oo]s nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Loosening}.] [See {Loose}, v. t.] 1. To make loose; to free from tightness, tension, firmness, or fixedness; to make less dense or compact; as, to loosen a string …
3loosen up — (someone) to behave in a relaxed, informal way. Slowly she began to loosen up and, by the second semester, she was making friends with her classmates. The question was supposed to loosen people up and chase away their anxieties …
4loosen — [lo͞os′ən] vt., vi. to make or become loose or looser; specif., a) to free from confinement or restraint; unbind, unfasten, etc. b) to make less taut, less compact, etc. ☆ loosen up Informal 1. to talk freely 2. to give money generously 3. to… …
5Loosen — Loos en, v. i. To become loose; to become less tight, firm, or compact. S. Sharp. [1913 Webster] …
6loosen — index disencumber, disentangle, disenthrall, dissociate, ease, extricate, give (yield), remit ( …
7Loosen — Forme génitive du néerlandais Loos, surnom désignant une personne rusée. Loos est aussi en allemand un hypocoristique de Ludwig (= Louis). Enfin, c est parfois un toponyme avec le sens de prairie marécageuse (germanique lauth) …
8loosen — (v.) late 14c., losnen, later lousen (early 15c.), from LOOSE (Cf. loose) (v.) + EN (Cf. en) (1). Related: Loosened; loosening …
9loosen — loos|en [ˈlu:sən] v 1.) [I and T] to make something less tight or less firmly fastened, or to become less tight or less firmly fastened ≠ ↑tighten ▪ You ll need a spanner to loosen that bolt. ▪ The screws have loosened. ▪ Harry loosened his tie.… …
10loosen — [[t]lu͟ːs(ə)n[/t]] loosens, loosening, loosened 1) VERB If someone loosens restrictions or laws, for example, they make them less strict or severe. [V n] Many business groups have been pressing the Federal Reserve to loosen interest rates... [V… …