[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/loose.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / loose

[← L](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/L/)

# loose

«loose» in Mova's school dictionary: **not tight: loose clothes, a loose belt** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (loose, looser, loosest); adverb (loose); verb (loosen)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Loose means not tight: loose clothes, a loose belt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#m1)

2) Loose means not fixed firmly: a loose tooth, a loose screw. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#m2)

3) Loose means not packed in a box or bag: loose pencils, loose change. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#m3)

4) Loose means free, not tied up or shut in: the dog got loose. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#m4)

5) To loose something means to untie it or set it free. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In maths it means things not in packs, counted apart from those in packs: boxes × size + loose. In everyday life: a loose tooth before a new one grows, loose change (coins), shoelaces coming loose. In safety: tie back loose hair near machines; a dog on the loose can be dangerous.

### examples

- He has 3 boxes of 10 pencils and 4 loose pencils. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x1)
- How many pencils in all? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x2)
- She has 2 loose teeth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x3)
- 7 loose coins were in his pocket. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x4)
- My shoelace came loose, so I tied it again. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x5)
- These jeans are too loose; I need a belt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x6)
- The goat broke its rope and got loose. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x7)
- A loose board on the bridge creaked. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x8)
- Tie back loose hair in the science lab. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x9)
- Loose it, and let it go.’ [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/#x10)

### note

Spelling trap: «loose» (not tight, rhymes with goose) is not «lose» (to stop having, to not win). Verb: «loosen» (make looser); «let loose» means set free. Maths: loose items are added to the packed ones. Trap: do not multiply the loose ones by the box size.

### In the corpora

- [Loose brushwork, holding the brush further from the bristles, often makes paintings look more alive.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/14-painting-paints-brushes-mess-and-mistakes/13/)
- [Young males leave the family at around 10 to 15 years old and live alone or in loose groups of males.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/22-elephants-families-tusks-ears-memory/6/)
- [A loose wide tail wag usually means a happy dog, but a stiff high wag can mean the dog is tense.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/24-wolves-and-dogs/13/)
- [Sea otters smash shellfish on a stone laid on the chest and keep a favourite stone in a loose skin pocket under the arm.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/100-sea-lions-seals-and-otters/12/)
- [Heat, stirring and small grains all make dissolving faster, which is why loose sugar vanishes before a sugar cube does.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/6-mixing-and-dissolving/4/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «loose» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/loose/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.