1
as in loose
not bound, confined, or detained by force
after having been chained for so long, the suddenly footloose dog ran helter-skelter about the yard
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in freewheeling
not held back by rules, duties, or worries
wished I could be as carefree as that footloose toddler
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Recent Examples of footloose
Of all the world’s footloose international students, 15 percent come to the United States, the largest share of any country in the world.
—
David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025
Defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
The footloose couple performed on the opening night of the Symphony of Dance tour in Melbourne, Fl.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Huppert plays a footloose and intense French woman at large in Korea and vaguely making ends meet as an untrained language tutor with eccentric methods.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for footloose
David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025
Defiant and determined to get back home on his own to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George encounters real danger as a distraught Rita tries to find her footloose son.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
The footloose couple performed on the opening night of the Symphony of Dance tour in Melbourne, Fl.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Huppert plays a footloose and intense French woman at large in Korea and vaguely making ends meet as an untrained language tutor with eccentric methods.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for footloose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for footloose
Adjective
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He was usually found near the net, either deflecting shots or scrambling for loose pucks, putting his body on the line.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Jake and Violet finally get married — and Station 42 gets to cut loose on the dance floor.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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The silent generation thought boomers were too freewheeling.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
30 Dec. 2025
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Todd Snider, the freewheeling American artist known for his sharp wit and decades of genre-blending songwriting, has died.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
15 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Smith, released before free agency, remains unsigned.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
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After your soak, head to Sant'Angelo, a car-free fishing village with boutiques, seaside cafés, and sweeping views, or unwind on nearby Maronti Beach.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Now even casual drinkers seem to be on a journey of sorts—if not toward sobriety, then toward some kind of self-knowledge.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and does not spread through casual contact or air.—
Dr. Céline Gounder,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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His vibrant original compositions were faithfully reproduced using stencil and combined with an original text written by the artist to form the unbound book.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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Beginning March 7, the Art Institute of Chicago will be displaying an exhibition featuring a colorful unbound book of late-career works by French artist Henri Matisse.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Footloose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/footloose. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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