Loosen

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Loosen \Loos"en\, v. i.
     To become loose; to become less tight, firm, or compact. --S.
     Sharp.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Loosen \Loos"en\ (l[=oo]s"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Loosened}
     (l[=oo]s"'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Loosening}.] [See {Loose}, v.
     t.]
     1. To make loose; to free from tightness, tension, firmness,
        or fixedness; to make less dense or compact; as, to loosen
        a string, or a knot; to loosen a rock in the earth.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              After a year's rooting, then shaking doth the tree
              good by loosening of the earth.       --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To free from restraint; to set at liberty..
        [1913 Webster]
  
              It loosens his hands, and assists his understanding.
                                                    --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To remove costiveness from; to facilitate or increase the
        alvine discharges of. --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  loosen
       v 1: make loose or looser; "loosen the tension on a rope" [syn: {loose}]
            [ant: {stiffen}]
       2: make less severe or strict; "The government relaxed the
          curfew after most of the rebels were caught" [syn: {relax}]
       3: become less severe or strict; "The rules relaxed after the
          new director arrived" [syn: {relax}]
       4: disentangle and raise the fibers of; "tease wool" [syn: {tease},
           {tease apart}]
       5: cause to become loose; "undo the shoelace"; "untie the
          knot"; "loosen the necktie" [syn: {untie}, {undo}]
       6: make less dense; "loosen the soil"
       7: become loose or looser or less tight; "The noose loosened";
          "the rope relaxed" [syn: {relax}, {loose}] [ant: {stiffen}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  105 Moby Thesaurus words for "loosen":
     abate, bate, cast off, cushion, cut apart, detach, diffuse,
     discharge, disengage, disenthrall, disjoin, disperse, doff, ease,
     ease off, ease up, emancipate, fluff, free, gentle, knead, lax,
     laxate, let down, let go, let up, liberate, limber, limber up,
     loose, manumit, mash, massage, mellow, milden, mitigate, mollify,
     plump, pulp, relax, release, remit, remove, scatter, separate,
     sever, shake up, slack, slack off, slack up, slacken, slake, smash,
     soften, soften up, squash, subdue, supple, take off, tenderize,
     tone down, tune down, unbar, unbend, unbind, unbolt, unbrace,
     unbridle, unbuckle, unbutton, uncage, unchain, unclasp, undo,
     unfasten, unfetter, ungag, unglue, unhandcuff, unhobble, unhook,
     unlace, unlash, unlatch, unleash, unlock, unloose, unloosen,
     unmanacle, unmuzzle, unpen, unpinion, unscrew, unshackle, unstick,
     unstrain, unstrap, unstring, untether, untie, untighten, untruss,
     unyoke, weaken, weigh anchor