How to Use loosen in a Sentence

loosen

verb

• He used a spade to loosen the soil.
• She loosened the cake from the sides of the pan.
• One of the screws had loosened a bit and had to be tightened.
• When the meeting was over he loosened his tie.
• After eating so much I had to loosen my belt.
• Each generation seems to loosen the established standards of behavior.
• Standards of behavior seem to be loosening everywhere.
• It was found that the wheels could loosen and even fall off.
  — Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 16 Nov. 2022
• Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen drippings and browned bits.
  — People Staff, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2022
• This will help loosen any grease and debris built up in the grates.
  — Kaitlyn McInnis, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2023
• Add broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen browned bits.
  — Felicia Campbell, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2022
• Foam rolling helps to stretch and loosen tight muscles.
  — WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023
• Swirl the rice gently with your hand to loosen the surface starch.
  — Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 July 2024
• Salt the thighs, front and back, and then slide your finger under the skin to loosen it.
  — G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2023
• In the old days, we were taught to dig the hole the depth of the soil ball and then loosen 12 inches of soil in the bottom of the hole.
  — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 3 Feb. 2023
• 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
• Move to a cool place, loosen clothes, drink cool liquids, and take a cool bath.
  — Marty Munson, Men's Health, 11 July 2022
• First, loosen the clips on both ends of the new strut using the screwdriver.
  — Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
• His pace slowed down, his grip on the back of my head would loosen a little bit.
  — Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2024
• Reheat gently on the stove, and loosen the sauce with a bit of stock or water.
  — Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2025
• Shake pan to loosen any endives that might stick to bottom of pan.
  — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 8 June 2023
• All of this did little to loosen Hamas’s grip on power.
  — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2023
• Let cool briefly, then run a butter knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen.
  — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2023
• The board may still vote to loosen that restriction if that is what Mr. Trump wants.
  — Joe Rennison, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
• The elastic in tights can be warped and loosened by the heat, causing tights to lose their shape.
  — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023
• Turn the walnuts onto a clean dish towel and roll and rub them around to loosen the skins.
  — Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY, 4 Dec. 2022
• If the sauce gets too thick, simply add a bit more water to loosen it up.
  — Sutanya Dacres, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2023
• What to Consider: The fabric loosens a bit in the water.
  — Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2023
• Everyone at the club has been holding out for the moment when new ownership arrived and the purse strings can finally be loosened.
  — Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
• If Vonn’s implant does loosen, doctors can fix it, with either another partial or full knee replacement.
  — Peggy Shinn, Outside Online, 31 Jan. 2025

Last Updated: 4 Mar 2025