as in to facilitate
to free from obstruction or difficulty
hoped that adding a second lane would loosen up traffic on that street
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to relax
to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety
a high-pressure job that makes it hard for him to loosen up even on weekends
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of loosen (up)
Cj Moore, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
However, Veronica Hamaguchi, a senior, said the policy has since loosened up, much to the relief of many students.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
As water evaporates, the steam will help loosen up a bit of the gunk for easy cleaning.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2025
With natural arm movement, people practice loosening up while balancing.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen (up)
Verb
Down the stretch, Drake finally loosened up and made layup after layup against Mizzou’s pressing defense, with Stirtz delivering the passes to put the game out of reach.
—Cj Moore, The Athletic, 21 Mar. 2025
However, Veronica Hamaguchi, a senior, said the policy has since loosened up, much to the relief of many students.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
As water evaporates, the steam will help loosen up a bit of the gunk for easy cleaning.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2025
With natural arm movement, people practice loosening up while balancing.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for loosen (up)
Cite this Entry
“Loosen (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loosen%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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