loose
v.v. not tight or not firmly fixed in place. You use this to describe clothes that are too big or a tooth that is about to fall out.
v. not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached. Often used to describe physical fit or structural stability.
I prefer wearing loose clothes when it is hot outside.
The mechanic noticed a loose bolt on the engine that was causing a loud rattling sound.
After weeks of hiking through the rugged terrain, his boots felt loose and the soles began to separate from the leather upper.
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *lausaz Old Norse laussbor. Middle English loos English loose From Middle English loos, los, lous, from Old Norse lauss, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, whence also -less, leasing; from Proto-Indo-European lewh₁- (“to untie, set free, separate”), whence also lyo-, -lysis, via Ancient Greek.
Commonly used as a predicative adjective after 'be' or 'become', or as an attributive adjective before a noun.
I do not want to loose my keysI do not want to lose my keysLearners frequently confuse the adjective 'loose' (not tight) with the verb 'lose' (to misplace or fail to win).