loosen up
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loos·en
(lo͞o′sən)v. loos·ened, loos·en·ing, loos·ens
v.tr.
1. To make looser or less tight: loosened his tie; loosened her grip on the rope.
2. To free from restraint, pressure, or strictness: loosened the requirements for graduation.
3. To free (the bowels) from constipation.
v.intr.
Phrasal Verb: To become loose or looser: My shoelace has loosened.
loosen up
1. To do stretches or light exercise before a more strenuous activity.
2. To become less strict or tense, as in one's demeanor; relax: always loosened up after he got home.
[Middle English lousnen, losnen, from losen, from los, loose; see loose.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Verb | 1. | loosen up - cause to become unblocked; "The medicine unstuffed my nose in minutes!" unblock - clear or remove an obstruction from; "the procedure unblocked his arteries" |
2. | loosen up - become less tense, less formal, or less restrained, and assume a friendlier manner; "our new colleague relaxed when he saw that we were a friendly group" | |
3. | loosen up - make one's body limber or suppler by stretching, as if to prepare for strenuous physical activity | |
4. | loosen up - become less tense, rest, or take one's ease; "He relaxed in the hot tub"; "Let's all relax after a hard day's work" vege out, vegetate - engage in passive relaxation; "After a hard day's work, I vegetate in front of the television" sit back, take it easy - settle into a comfortable sitting position change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" | |
5. | loosen up - cause to feel relaxed; "A hot bath always relaxes me" affect - act physically on; have an effect upon; "the medicine affects my heart rate" unbend - release from mental strain, tension, or formality; "unbend the mind from absorbing too much information" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
w>loosen up
vt sep muscles → lockern; soil → auflockern
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007