loosen

Loosen is a verb meaning to make something less tight or to release a constraint, and by extension to become less tight oneself. It can be used transitively, as in "loosen the bolt," or intransitively, as in "the knot loosened." The phrasal verb "loosen up" means to relax or become more flexible or informal.

Common applications include mechanical contexts (adjusting screws, nuts, clamps, or fittings); construction and engineering (loosening joints, seams, or bindings); and natural processes (soil or rock loosening due to water, weathering, or excavation). In biology and medicine, loosening can describe muscles or tissues relaxing or joints becoming more mobile, sometimes as a therapeutic goal. The term can also be used metaphorically, as in loosening restrictions or loosened trade rules.

Etymology and forms: Loosen derives from the adjective loose with the verbal suffix -en, a pattern common in English for forming verbs meaning to make or become so. Related forms include looseness (noun), loosely (adverb), and loosening (gerund or participle). The word’s usage spans everyday tasks, technical disciplines, and figurative language.

See also: looseness, loosely, loosening.