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
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of loosens
The heat softens and loosens debris in the carpet fibers so it can be vacuumed away.
—
Bestreviews,
Mercury News,
26 June 2026
One of the gentlest is WD-40, which loosens rust, lubricates parts, and helps protect the surface from further rusting.
—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
22 June 2026
But by the second verse, a racing beat arrives and never loosens its grip, especially as Rodrigo climbs the chorus.
—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Today’s proclamation loosens restrictions on fishing in some of those same areas, specifically, Mau and Ho‘omalu Zones of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument.
—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Teams experiment more broadly, deploy more agents, automate more workflows, and generate exponentially larger amounts of inference traffic once the constraint loosens.
—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Experts advise hand-pulling weeds after a rain, which loosens the soil and makes the job much easier.
—
Felicia Feaster,
Martha Stewart,
30 May 2026
Water loosens the soil around the roots, and facilitates extraction.
—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
Once the gunk loosens, simply wipe the interior clean with a cloth.
—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
Bestreviews,
Mercury News,
26 June 2026
One of the gentlest is WD-40, which loosens rust, lubricates parts, and helps protect the surface from further rusting.
—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
22 June 2026
But by the second verse, a racing beat arrives and never loosens its grip, especially as Rodrigo climbs the chorus.
—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Today’s proclamation loosens restrictions on fishing in some of those same areas, specifically, Mau and Ho‘omalu Zones of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the Islands Unit of the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, and the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument.
—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Teams experiment more broadly, deploy more agents, automate more workflows, and generate exponentially larger amounts of inference traffic once the constraint loosens.
—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Experts advise hand-pulling weeds after a rain, which loosens the soil and makes the job much easier.
—
Felicia Feaster,
Martha Stewart,
30 May 2026
Water loosens the soil around the roots, and facilitates extraction.
—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026
Once the gunk loosens, simply wipe the interior clean with a cloth.
—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loosens
Verb
-
Within a few minutes, the sphincter muscle usually relaxes to allow for a bowel movement.
-
The wind relaxes a bit mid-week, but temps will still hover around the low 90s.
Verb
-
Few things help beat the heat more than a strapless neckline, which frees up your underarms from being trapped in a hot T-shirt.
-
The proclamation frees up additional state resources and personnel for response and recovery operations and can facilitate requests for state and federal disaster relief.
Verb
-
Carmy unleashes his many feelings.
-
When the black hole feeds on gas, the object unleashes particles in the form of wind or jets that move at nearly the speed of light, traveling up to thousands of light-years into space.
Verb
-
Landing Torbert eases the sting of missing out on five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson, who committed to South Carolina on Wednesday.
-
Oil continues to fall, which eases the inflationary pressures, too.
Verb
-
Harvard’s research confirms that AI liberates managers from coordination and relay tasks, freeing them for judgment, contextual intelligence, and human connection that no system can replicate.
-
Where Beyoncé added poetic interludes between songs, in Songs from the Hole, the audience learns about Jacobs' story and how his music spiritually liberates him while simultaneously being among the reasons officials cited for not granting him parole.
Verb
-
Small intestine The stomach gradually releases partially digested food into the small intestine.
-
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street.
Verb
-
But over the last couple of years, the team has invested heavily in the reasoning side because that’s what unlocks generality.
-
Good wine recalls specific tasting notes; great wine unlocks entire memories.
Cite this Entry
“Loosens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosens. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
