let loose

[ let loos ]

idiom

past and past participle: let loosepresent participle: letting loose

1. to set free; release;

   They let the captured mouse loose in a field.

2. to allow to act freely (often followed by on ):

   I have my medical students practice putting IVs in me before I let them loose on patients.

3. to act in a relaxed or uninhibited way:

   It took some time to talk my dad into letting loose and playing a few games with the grandkids.

   I can be serious when I need to be, but sometimes I just need to let loose and have fun.

4. to utter or issue forcefully and suddenly (sometimes followed by with ):

   I let loose a shriek and made a dive for the door.

   He let loose with a flurry of angry posts on the website.

5. to give way; yield:

   The guardrail let loose and we very nearly plunged over the edge.

Example Sentences

Two drives later, Moss let loose another deep ball, only for it to sail too far inside of wideout Zachariah Branch.

From Los Angeles Times

Do business people want to see that horse, now creaking with age and even more touchy and unpredictable, let loose in the ICU all over again?

From Salon

The question makes Stutzman throw his head back and let loose with that laugh.

From Los Angeles Times

“I also feel that I’ve seen him open up, let loose, really show his true personality. He quickly became the person he was meant to be.”

From Los Angeles Times

Whether carbon emissions are cut to begin with, or pulled out of the atmosphere after they’ve already been let loose, climate scientists stress that there is no time to waste.

From Salon

Related Words

• acquit
• clear
• discharge
• dismiss
• extricate
• pardon
• parole
• release
• relieve
• rescue
• save