Words / B2

LOOS/luːs/

Loose means not tight or not firmly fixed; also not precise: a loose cable; a loose argument. Slack is close for fit; vague is close for argument. Lose /luːz/ is the verb “not keep” (already in the dictionary). A loose cable tripped the practical. Mix-up: lose / lost. Do not write “loose the match”.

Meaning

Not tight or firmly fixed; also not exact (a loose argument). Not the verb lose.

Examples

• “A loose cable tripped the practical, the incident form said.”
• “A loose paraphrase is not a quotation, which is the precision sense.”

Good to know

a loose + noun; come loose; loosely. Verb trap: lose / lost. Close (argument): vague. DT, exams, and essays. Not tight — never the verb lose.

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