–adjective

1.	free or released from fastening or attachment: a loose end.

2.	free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered: loose cats prowling around in alleyways at night.

3.	uncombined, as a chemical element.

4.	not bound together: to wear one's hair loose.

5.	not put up in a package or other container: loose mushrooms.

6.	available for disposal; unused; unappropriated: loose funds.

lacking in reticence or power of restraint: a loose tongue.

7.

8.	lax, as the bowels.

9.	lacking moral restraint or integrity; notorious for his loose character.

10.	sexually promiscuous or immoral; unchaste.

11.	not firm, taut, or rigid: a loose tooth; a loose rein.

12.	relaxed or limber in nature: He runs with a loose, open stride.

13.	not fitting closely or tightly: a loose sweater.

14.	not close or compact in structure or arrangement; having spaces between the parts; open: a loose weave.

15.	having few restraining factors between associated constituents and allowing ample freedom for independent action: a loose federation of city-states.

16.	not cohering: loose sand.

17.	not strict, exact, or precise: a loose interpretation of the law.

18.	Sports. a. having the players on a team positioned at fairly wide intervals, as in a football formation. b. (of a ball, hockey puck, etc.) not in the possession of either team; out of player control.

–adverb

19.	in a loose manner; loosely (usually used in combination): loose-flowing.

–verb (used with object)

20.	to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.

21.	to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.

22.	Chiefly Nautical. to set free from fastening or attachment: to loose a boat from its moorings.

23.	to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.

24.	to shoot; discharge; let fly: to loose missiles at the invaders.

25.	to make less tight; slacken or relax.

26.	to render less firmly fixed; lessen an attachment; loosen.

–verb (used without object)

27.	to let go a hold.

28.	to hoist anchor; get under way.

29.	to shoot or let fly an arrow, bullet, etc. (often fol. by off): to loose off at a flock of ducks.

30.	Obsolete. to become loose; loosen.

—Idioms

31.	break loose, to free oneself; escape: The convicts broke loose.

32.	cast loose, a. to loosen or unfasten, as a ship from a mooring. b. to send forth; set adrift or free: He was cast loose at an early age to make his own way in the world.

33.	cut loose, a. to release from domination or control. b. to become free, independent, etc. c. to revel without restraint: After the rodeo they headed into town to cut loose.

34.	hang or stay loose, Slang. to remain relaxed and unperturbed.

35.	let loose, a. to free or become free. b. to yield; give way: The guardrail let loose and we very nearly plunged over the edge.

36.	on the loose, a. free; unconfined, as, esp., an escaped convict or circus animal. b. behaving in an unrestrained or dissolute way: a bachelor on the loose.

37.	turn loose, < 3a9 /span>to release or free, as from confinement: The teacher turned the children loose after the class.

–noun

1.	the amount or quantity of heaviness or mass; amount a thing weighs.

2.	Physics. the force that gravitation exerts upon a body, equal to the mass of the body times the local acceleration of gravity: commonly taken, in a region of constant gravitational acceleration, as a measure of mass.

3.	a system of units for expressing heaviness or cce mass: avoirdupois weight.

4.	a unit of heaviness or mass: The pound is a common weight in English-speaking countries.

5.	a body of determinate mass, as of metal, for using on a balance or scale in weighing objects, substances, etc.

6.	a specific quantity of a substance that is determined by weighing or that weighs a fixed amount: a half-ounce weight of gold dust.

7.	any heavy load, mass, or object: Put down that weight and rest your arms.

8.	an object used or useful solely because of its heaviness: the weights of a clock.

9.	a mental or moral burden, as of care, sorrow, or responsibility: Knowing you are safe takes a weight off my mind.

10.	importance, moment, consequence, or effective influence: an opinion of great weight.

11.	Statistics. a measure of the relative importance of an item in a statistical population.

12.	(of clothing, textiles, etc.) a. relative heaviness or thickness as related to warmth or to seasonal use (often used in combination): a winter-weight jacket. b. relative heaviness or thickness as related to use: a bolt of coat-weight woolen cloth.

13.	Printing. (of type) the degree of blackness or boldness.

14.	(esp. in boxing) a division or class to which a contestant belongs according to how much he weighs: two brothers who fight professionally in the same weight.

15.	the total amount the jockey, saddle, and leads must weigh on a racehorse during a race, according to the conditions of the race: Jacinto has a weight of 122 pounds in the seventh race.

16.	the stress or accent value given a sound, syllable, or word.

– 78 verb (used with object)

17.	to add weight to; load wit 3e8 h additional weight: to weight sacks before dumping them overboard.

18.	to load (fabrics, threads, etc.) with mineral or other matter to increase the weight or bulk.

19.	to burden with or as if with weight (often fol. by down): Financial worries have weighted that family down for years.

20.	Statistics. to give a statistical weight to.

21.	to bias or slant toward a particular goal or direction; manipulate: The teacher weighted the test so students who had read both books would make the highes ed2 t marks.

22.	to assign (a racehorse) a specific weight to carry in a race: The handicapper weighted Dapper Dan with 128 pounds.

—Idioms

23.	by weight, according to measurement of heaviness or mass: Rates are determined by weight.

24.	carry weight, to have importance or significance; influence: Her opinion is certain to carry weight.

25.	pull one's weight, to contribute one's rightful share of work to a project or job: We will finish in time if we each pull our weight. Also, pull one's own weight.

26.	throw one's weight around or about, to use one's power and influence, esp. beyond the bounds of propriety, to secure some personal gain.