loosen
verb
1 to make sth less tight or firmly fixed; to become less tight or firmly fixed:
[VN] First loosen the nuts, then take off the wheel. [V] The rope holding the boat loosened.
2 [VN] to make a piece of clothing, hair, etc. loose, when it has been tied or fastened
3 [VN] ~ your hands, hold, etc. to hold sb/sth less tightly:
He loosened his grip and let her go. (figurative) The military regime has not loosened its hold on power.
4 [VN] to make sth weaker or less controlled than before:
The party has loosened its links with trade unions.
OPP TIGHTEN
IDIOMS
loosen sb's tongue to make sb talk more freely than usual:
A bottle of wine had loosened Harry's tongue.
PHRASAL VERBS
loosen up to relax and stop worrying:
Come on, Jo. Loosen up.
loosen up | loosen sb/sth<->up to relax your muscles or parts of the body or to make them relax, before taking exercise, etc:
Dancers were loosening up before going on stage.

▼ Từ liên quan / Related words

• Từ trái nghĩa / Antonyms: stiffen  
• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms: relax   loose   untie   undo   tease   tease apart