loose

Loose is an English word that primarily functions as an adjective, describing something not tight, not firmly fixed, or not securely attached. It can apply to physical objects, such as loose clothing, a loose button, or loose screws, and also to non-physical ideas, as in a loose interpretation of a rule or a loose plan with many unspecified details. The term can also describe fit, as in loose-fitting garments or loose ropes, or convey a lack of precision, as in a loose arrangement of parts.

In everyday usage, loose appears in common phrases such as loose change (coins that are not in a single container) and loose leaf tea (tea not packaged in bags). It can also appear in the sense of unfinished business, as in loose ends, meaning unresolved tasks or questions.

In contrast, lose is a different verb meaning to no longer have something or to fail to win. The adjective/adverb form of the word is loose (and the adverb is loosely). For example, one might say a component is loose, but one would say to lose a component or to lose a game. The adverb loosely is used for degrees of looseness or approximation, as in “loosely defined.”

Etymology traces loose to Old English losian and related Germanic roots, reflecting senses tied to looseness, freedom, and lack of constraint.

Overall, loose centers on the idea of slackness or lack of tightness, with usage spanning concrete and abstract contexts, and it is commonly contrasted with tight, fixed, or secure.