loosens

verb

Definition of loosensnext
present tense third-person singular of loosen
1
as in relaxes
to make less taut the lead climber loosened the climbing rope so that the other climber could have more room to maneuver

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frees
to set free (as from slavery or confinement) the dog ran after the squirrel after he was loosened from the post

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unleashes
to set free (from a state of being held in check) once he got to know us better, his inhibitions loosened a bit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosens
  1. frees
  2. unleashes
  3. eases
  4. releases
  5. unlocks
Verb
  • Nevertheless, holiday distractions are an overall factor and the hope is for more traction as time frees up.
    Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2024
  • For example, leveraging technology to automate routine tasks—guided by older members’ insights—frees up time for creativity and strategic planning.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of frees
Verb
  • Doll’s action unleashes a cascade of karmic consequences, most of them violent and some perpetrated by him, that culminate in the investigator being set up to take the fall for the killing of a young female tourist and being pursued by bounty hunters sent by that cartel bagman.
    Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
  • The boa uncoils and hisses, the tiger unleashes his roar.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of unleashes
Verb
  • Also in the future is the potential for acquisitions when capex spending eases.
    Michael Flaherty, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
  • None of that eases the pain on the Palouse, where the Cougars must move quickly to replace Dickert, stabilize the program and create a foundation for next season and beyond in the rebuilt Pac-12.
    Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of eases
Verb
  • The year also began with a strong El Niño event, which occurs when the ocean in the Eastern Pacific releases large amounts of heat to the atmosphere, raising global temperatures.
    Lauren Sommer, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Humiliated when Iran releases the hostages minutes after Reagan is inaugurated.
    Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of releases
Verb
  • Enrollment could continue to rise after North Carolina lawmakers this year approved a measure that unlocks funding for applications for thousands more students of all incomes to attend private school.
    Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
  • The rapid evolution of AI models, particularly in generative and large language technologies, unlocks groundbreaking capabilities—but at a steep cost.
    Aparna Prabhakar, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Definition of unlocks
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near loosens

loosening (up)

loosens

loosens (up)

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Loosens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosens. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on loosens

Nglish: Translation of loosens for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of loosens for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...