verb · neutral
loosen
/ˈluːsən/LOOSE·en
to make something less tight or less strict
Examples
“After the protests the authorities decided to loosen some travel restrictions.”
“She loosened the knot so the rope came free.”
“The company needs to loosen its grip on day-to-day decisions to encourage innovation.”
Band 8 sentence
“In an effort to revive tourism, the government chose to loosen visa requirements for short-term visitors.”
Collocations
- loosen restrictions
- loosen control/hold/grip
- loosen regulations
Word family
Common mistakes
to loose the rules→to loosen the rules
make loose the restrictions→loosen the restrictions / make the restrictions looser
loosen of the rules→loosen the rules
Say it for a higher band
5make loose→6relax→7+loosen
Synonyms
relax
ease
Easily confused
lose
“Don't lose your passport before the flight.”
loose
“The screw is loose and needs tightening.”
Related words
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In -en
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