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
The fact that the Catholic Church held so much sway over the Republic of Ireland’s political institutions for so long ensured that, once the shackles were loosened, the South more or less speedran the entire postwar era in the past 30 years.
—
Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Trump has generally pledged to extend or enact major tax cuts while loosening regulations, something that the business community is set to embrace.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024
Fake bot accounts and deepfakes are on the rise, often proliferated by foreign adversaries, while platforms like X have loosened efforts to limit misleading content.
—Jenn Brice, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
Meanwhile, Democrats, led in part by prominent left-leaning attorney Marc Elias, have continued to fight in court all year to expand voter access and loosen voting restrictions while arguing that the GOP’s mission causes disenfranchisement.
—Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 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.
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 30 Nov. 2024.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share