Loose / Lose
Is it not tight or gone?
Lose vs. Loose
| LOOSE | LOSE |
|---|---|
The adjective loose is used for something that is (1) not tied or fastened in place; (2) not attached to anything. |
The verb lose is used when we stop having (no longer have) something, or we gradually have less of a particular attitude, quality, ability etc. For example, by misfortune, we fail to win something, or we misplace something, or we no longer have something (including the death of someone). By good fortune, we lose weight, worries, a bad attitude, etc. |
Sophie's tooth is loose. (not securely attached) |
Sophie will lose her tooth in a day or so. (become unattached) |
Your dog is loose. (free) |
You might lose your dog if you don't keep him inside. (allow to runaway) |
The football got loose, so the other team took possession of it. (free from our possession) |
Our team needs to play better or we will lose the game. (fail to win) |
You are too anxious. Hang loose. (expression – relax) |
You will lose your temper if you continue this way. (expression – be unable to control ) |
loosen (adj. – loose, v. – loosen, loosened) lose (adj. – lost, v. – lose, lost)
fastened (adj.) – not well connected or attached
LOOSE adjective
| MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|
FREE, ESCAPED |
The chickens run loose in the yard. |
NOT TIGHT |
He prefers to wear loose shirts. |
UNATTACHED, IN RANDOM ORDER |
Vegetables grow well in loose soil. / He carries loose change in his pocket. (disorderly, random, not tightly packed together) |
APPROXIMATE, INEXACT |
He has a loose explanation, arrangement, agreement. |
ESCAPE, RUN AWAY |
EXPRESSION The horse will break loose from its enclosure if it is not closed well. |
RELAX, GET A LITTLE WILD |
He walked onto the dance floor and cut loose. (intentionally lose control) |
HAVE NOTHING TO DO |
He doesn't want to be at loose ends. He doesn't know where to go. |
UNTRUSTWORTHY, UNPREDICTABLE |
He was a loose cannon on the battle field. (someone who cannot be trusted because they say or do things you do not want them to) |
BE RELAXED |
Just go in there and hang loose. (stay calm, do not worry) |
ALLOW EMOTIONS TO ESCAPE |
The wolf let loose a howl. / He picks up a guitar and lets loose. |
HAVE NO CARES OR WORRIES |
He is foot loose and fancy free. |
LOOSEN verb
| MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|
UNTIE |
Can you loosen this knot? |
RELAX |
Loosen up! |
RELAX, RELEASE A LITTLE |
The government loosened its hold on the protestors. |
SPEAK MORE EASILY |
EXPRESSION A little alcohol loosened his tongue. |
SPEND MORE EASILY |
A better economy will allow people to loosen their wallets. |
STRETCH MORE EASILY |
A few warm-up exercises will loosen your muscles. |
An expression is two or more words that combine to form a new meaning. That is, each word does not keep its literal meaning.
LOSE verb (n. – loss)
| MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|
NOT WIN |
He lost the election, game, match, competition by a landslide. (a lot) |
MISPLACES |
She loses her keys quite often. She finds them again later. |
ALLOW TO ESCAPE |
She will lose her dog if she doesn't close the gate. |
MISS AN OPPORTUNTITY |
We lost a chance to see him before his left. |
DECREASE WEIGHT |
Most people lose weight when they have the flu. |
DIE |
He lost his father recently to a heart attack. "I'm sorry for your loss." |
STOP HAVING AN ABILITY |
After he turned ninety, he lost his sight, hearing, voice, balance, sense of smell, etc. |
STOP HAVING AN CONTROL |
After he turned ninety, he lost his temper, his control, his mind, his head, his cool. He lost it. |
STOP HAVING AN EMOTION |
He must not lose his confidence, interest, hope, respect, heart, etc. |
STOP HAVING A SENSE |
While walking in the forest, he lost his sense of direction, sense of time, etc. He lost his way. |
STOP HAVING SOMETHING |
He will lose his license if he is texting while driving. (Br-EN licence) |
STOP HAVING A SPECIAL SKILL |
This food is terrible. The chef has lost his touch. |
STOP HAVING ENOUGH TIME |
He lost time in the race because he had to repair a flat tire. |
GET RID OF |
Lose him. (an unwanted person) Lose the attitude! (unwanted character) |
MEANING STOP KNOWING THE LOCATION OR WELL-BEING |
EXPRESSION We lose track of friends after we move away. We lose touch with friends after we move away. |
HAVE NO RISK, NO CHANCE OF LOSING |
Ask him for a raise. You have nothing to lose. He needs you. |
STOP RECEIVING RESPECT |
They settled the disagreement so that neither person would lose face. |
STOP REASONING CLEARLY |
Think carefully. You don't want to lose sight of the situation. (forget an important fact or goal) |
STOP REASONING CLEARLY |
Our team lost to / lost out to a team with an even worse record. (forget an important fact or goal) |
NOT SLEEP WELL, INSOMNIA |
He loses sleep because he worries. |
BECOME CRAZY OR CONFUSED |
He's lost it. (It refers to his sanity or peacefully state of mind) |
Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
Where did you loose your keys? |
Where did you lose your keys? |
Can you loose the ties on my shoes? |
Can you loosen the ties on my shoes? (verb form) |
We losed the game with a score of 17 to 12. |
We lost the game with a score of 17 to 12. |
Practice 1
Loose or Lose?
Correct or incorrect
- Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
Practice 2
Riley and Sam
Loose or Lose?
Complete the paragraph.
- Select the word that best completes the sentence.
- Check your answers by clicking the "check" b utton.
would / used to – indicates a past habit See used to.