Loose vs. Tense — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Loose and Tense
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Compare with Definitions
Loose
Not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached
The lorry's trailer came loose
A loose tooth
Tense
Tightly stretched; taut.
Loose
(of a garment) not fitting tightly or closely
She slipped into a loose T-shirt
Tense
In a state of nervous tension or mental strain
Was very tense before the exam.
Loose
Not close, compact, or solid in structure or formation
Loose soil
The fabric's loose weave
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Tense
Causing or characterized by nervous tension or mental strain
A tense standoff between border patrols.
Loose
Not strict or exact
A loose interpretation
Tense
(Linguistics) Enunciated with taut muscles, as the sound (ē) in keen.
Loose
Engaging in casual sexual encounters or relationships
She ran the risk of being called a loose woman
Tense
To make or become tense.
Loose
Loose play
He was in powerful form in the loose
Tense
A property of verbs in which the time of the action or state, as well as its continuance or completion, is indicated or expressed.
Loose
Set free; release
The hounds have been loosed
Tense
A category or set of verb forms that indicate or express the time, such as past, present, or future, of the action or state.
Loose
Fire (a bullet, arrow, etc.)
He loosed off a shot at the vehicle
Tense
Any of the forms of a verb which distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or exists.
The basic tenses in English are present, past, and future.
Loose
Not fastened, restrained, or contained
Loose bricks.
Tense
An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense.
English only has a present tense and a past tense; it has no future tense.
Loose
Not taut, fixed, or rigid
A loose anchor line.
A loose chair leg.
Tense
The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.
Dyirbal verbs are not inflected for tense.
Loose
Free from confinement or imprisonment; unfettered
Criminals loose in the neighborhood.
Dogs that are loose on the streets.
Tense
To apply a tense to.
Tensing a verb
Loose
Not tight-fitting or tightly fitted
Loose shoes.
Tense
(transitive) To make tense.
Loose
Not bound, bundled, stapled, or gathered together
Loose papers.
Tense
(intransitive) To become tense.
Loose
Not compact or dense in arrangement or structure
Loose gravel.
Tense
Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed.
You need to relax, all this overtime and stress is making you tense.
Loose
Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; idle
Loose talk.
Tense
Pulled taut, without any slack.
Loose
Not formal; relaxed
A loose atmosphere at the club.
Tense
One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by adding auxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or event signified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication of time.
Loose
Lacking conventional moral restraint in sexual behavior.
Tense
Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber.
The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal paleness was upon her.
Loose
Not literal or exact
A loose translation.
Tense
A grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
Loose
Characterized by a free movement of fluids in the body
A loose cough.
Loose bowels.
Tense
Stretch or force to the limit;
Strain the rope
Loose
In a loose manner.
Tense
Increase the tension on;
Tense a rope
Loose
To let loose; release
Loosed the dogs.
Tense
Become tense or tenser;
He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room
Loose
To make loose; undo
Loosed his belt.
Tense
Make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;
Loose
To cast loose; detach
Hikers loosing their packs at camp.
Tense
In or of a state of physical or nervous tension
Loose
To let fly; discharge
Loosed an arrow.
Tense
Pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
Loose
To release pressure or obligation from; absolve
Loosed her from the responsibility.
Tense
Taut or rigid; stretched tight;
Tense piano strings
Loose
To make less strict; relax
A leader's strong authority that was loosed by easy times.
Loose
(transitive) To let loose, to free from restraints.
Loose
(transitive) To unfasten, to loosen.
Loose
(transitive) To make less tight, to loosen.
Loose
(intransitive) Of a grip or hold, to let go.
Loose
(archery) To shoot (an arrow).
Loose
(obsolete) To set sail.
Loose
(obsolete) To solve; to interpret.
Loose
Not fixed in place tightly or firmly.
This wheelbarrow has a loose wheel.
Loose
Not held or packaged together.
Loose
Not under control.
The dog is loose again.
Loose
Not fitting closely
Loose
Not compact.
A cloth of loose texture
Loose
Relaxed.
She danced with a loose flowing movement.
Loose
Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate.
A loose way of reasoning
Loose
Indiscreet.
Loose talk costs lives.
Loose
(somewhat dated) Free from moral restraint; immoral, unchaste.
Loose
Not being in the possession of any competing team during a game.
He caught an elbow going after a loose ball.
The puck was momentarily loose right in front of the net.
Loose
(dated) Not costive; having lax bowels.
Loose
(of volumes of materials) Measured loosely stacked or disorganized (such as of firewood).
Loose
Having oversteer.
Loose
(archery) The release of an arrow.
Loose
(obsolete) A state of laxity or indulgence; unrestrained freedom, abandonment.
Loose
(rugby) All play other than set pieces (scrums and line-outs).
Loose
Freedom from restraint.
Loose
A letting go; discharge.
Loose
(archery) begin shooting; release your arrows
Loose
Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book.
Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat.
Loose
Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc.; - with from or of.
Now I standLoose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts ?
Loose
Not tight or close; as, a loose garment.
Loose
Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture.
With horse and chariots ranked in loose array.
Loose
Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning.
The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation.
Loose
Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right.
The loose morality which he had learned.
Loose
Unconnected; rambling.
Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages.
Loose
Lax; not costive; having lax bowels.
Loose
Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman.
Loose ladies in delight.
Loose
Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle.
Loose
Freedom from restraint.
Loose
A letting go; discharge.
Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow.
Loose
To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve.
Canst thou . . . loose the bands of Orion ?
Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me.
Loose
To release from anything obligatory or burdensome; to disengage; hence, to absolve; to remit.
Art thou loosed from a wife ? seek not a wife.
Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Loose
To relax; to loosen; to make less strict.
The joints of his loins were loosed.
Loose
To solve; to interpret.
Loose
To set sail.
Loose
Grant freedom to; free from confinement
Loose
Turn loose or free from restraint;
Let loose mines
Loose terrible plagues upon humanity
Loose
Make loose or looser;
Loosen the tension on a rope
Loose
Become loose or looser or less tight;
The noose loosened
The rope relaxed
Loose
Not restrained or confined or attached;
A pocket full of loose bills
Knocked the ball loose
Got loose from his attacker
Loose
Not compact or dense in structure or arrangement;
Loose gravel
Loose
(of a ball in sport) not in the possession or control of any player;
A loose ball
Loose
Not tight; not closely constrained or constricted or constricting;
Loose clothing
The large shoes were very loose
Loose
Not officially recognized or controlled;
An informal agreement
A loose organization of the local farmers
Loose
Not literal;
A loose interpretation of what she had been told
A free translation of the poem
Loose
Emptying easily or excessively;
Loose bowels
Loose
Not affixed;
The stamp came loose
Loose
Not tense or taut;
The old man's skin hung loose and gray
Slack and wrinkled skin
Slack sails
A slack rope
Loose
(of textures) full of small openings or gaps;
An open texture
A loose weave
Loose
Not fixed firmly or tightly;
The bolts became loose over time
A loose chair leg
Loose bricks
Loose
Lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility;
Idle talk
A loose tongue
Loose
Not carefully arranged in a package;
A box of loose nails
Loose
Freely producing mucus;
A loose phlegmy cough
Loose
Having escaped, especially from confinement;
A convict still at large
Searching for two escaped prisoners
Dogs loose on the streets
Criminals on the loose in the neighborhood
Loose
Casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior;
Her easy virtue
He was told to avoid loose (or light) women
Wanton behavior
Loose
Not bound or fastened or gathered together;
Loose pages
Loose papers
Loose
Without restraint;
Cows in India are running loose
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