LET LOOSE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does let loose mean? 

• LET LOOSE (verb)
  The verb LET LOOSE has 2 senses:

1. express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)

2. turn loose or free from restraint

  Familiarity information: LET LOOSE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LET LOOSE (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

emit; let loose; let out; utter

Context example:

He uttered strange sounds that nobody could understand

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "let loose"):

oink; squeal (utter a high-pitched cry, characteristic of pigs)

growl; grumble; rumble (to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds)

howl; wrawl; yammer; yowl (cry loudly, as of animals)

bark (make barking sounds)

baa; blat; blate; bleat (cry plaintively)

bellow; roar (make a loud noise, as of animal)

cheep; chirp; chirrup; peep (make high-pitched sounds)

churr; whirr (make a vibrant sound, as of some birds)

chirr (make a vibrant noise, of grasshoppers or cicadas)

meow; mew (cry like a cat)

quack (utter quacking noises)

hoot (utter the characteristic sound of owls)

cronk; honk (cry like a goose)

hiss; sibilate; siss; sizz (make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval)

sibilate (utter a sibilant)

bray; hee-haw (braying characteristic of donkeys)

groan; moan (indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure)

clack; click; cluck (make a clucking sounds, characteristic of hens)

low; moo (make a low noise, characteristic of bovines)

cackle (squawk shrilly and loudly, characteristic of hens)

gobble (make a gurgling sound, characteristic of turkeys)

neigh; nicker; whicker; whinny (make a characteristic sound, of a horse)

gargle (utter with gargling or burbling sounds)

caw (utter a cry, characteristic of crows, rooks, or ravens)

mew (utter a high-pitched cry, as of seagulls)

haw (utter 'haw')

hem (utter 'hem' or 'ahem')

croak; cronk (utter a hoarse sound, like a raven)

sing (to make melodious sounds)

smack (press (the lips) together and open (the lips) noisily, as in eating)

give (emit or utter)

sigh (utter with a sigh)

gibber (chatter inarticulately; of monkeys)

crow (express pleasure verbally)

crow (utter shrill sounds)

trumpet (utter in trumpet-like sounds)

coo (cry softly, as of pigeons)

call; cry; holler; hollo; scream; shout; shout out; squall; yell (utter a sudden loud cry)

miaou; miaow (make a cat-like sound)

tsk; tut; tut-tut (utter 'tsk,' 'tut,' or 'tut-tut,' as in disapproval)

echo; repeat (to say again or imitate)

call (utter a characteristic note or cry)

shoot (utter fast and forcefully)

gurgle (utter with a gurgling sound)

cry (utter a characteristic sound)

nasale (speak in a nasal voice)

bite out (utter)

call (utter in a loud voice or announce)

troat (emit a cry intended to attract other animals; used especially of animals at rutting time)

lift (make audible)

pant (utter while panting, as if out of breath)

volley (utter rapidly)

break into (express or utter spontaneously)

heave (utter a sound, as with obvious effort)

chorus (utter in unison)

splutter; sputter (utter with a spitting sound, as if in a rage)

deliver (utter (an exclamation, noise, etc.))

hoot (to utter a loud clamorous shout)

grunt (issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise)

wolf-whistle (whistle or howl approvingly at a female, of males)

snort (indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose)

spit; spit out (utter with anger or contempt)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Turn loose or free from restraint

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

let loose; loose; unleash

Context example:

Loose terrible plagues upon humanity

Hypernyms (to "let loose" is one way to...):

let go; let go of; release; relinquish (release, as from one's grip)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

There is no end of the evil let loose upon us.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

The dog is let loose at night to prevent him from endeavouring to communicate with her.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The first struck fifty feet to windward of the boat, the second alongside; and at the third the boat-steerer let loose his steering-oar and crumpled up in the bottom of the boat.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I thought also of my father and surviving brother; should I by my base desertion leave them exposed and unprotected to the malice of the fiend whom I had let loose among them?

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Know, base-born knave, that you have dared this day to stand in the path of one whose race have been the advisers of kings and the leaders of hosts, ere ever this vile crew of Norman robbers came into the land, or such half-blood hounds as you were let loose to preach that the thief should have his booty and the honest man should sin if he strove to win back his own.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I considered the being whom I had cast among mankind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of horror, such as the deed which he had now done, nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Did any one indeed exist, except I, the creator, who would believe, unless his senses convinced him, in the existence of the living monument of presumption and rash ignorance which I had let loose upon the world?

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)