2 N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a loony , you mean that they behave in a way that seems mad, strange, or eccentric. Some people consider this use offensive. [INFORMAL , OFFENSIVE , DISAPPROVAL ] □ At first they all thought I was a loony.
loop /luː p/ (loops , looping , looped )
1 N‑COUNT A loop is a curved or circular shape in something long, for example in a piece of string. □ Mrs. Morrell reached for a loop of garden hose.
2 VERB If you loop something such as a piece of rope around an object, you tie a length of it in a loop around the object, for example in order to fasten it to the object. □ [V n prep] He looped the rope over the wood. □ [V -ed] He wore the watch and chain looped round his neck like a medallion.
3 VERB If something loops somewhere, it goes there in a circular direction that makes the shape of a loop. □ [V prep/adv] The helicopter took off and headed north. Then it looped west, heading for the hills.
4 PHRASE If someone is in the loop , they are part of a group of people who make decisions about important things, or they know about these decisions. If they are out of the loop , they do not make or know about important decisions. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ I think that the vice president was in the loop. □ These activists don't want to feel out of the loop.
loop|hole /luː phoʊl/ (loopholes ) N‑COUNT A loophole in the law is a small mistake which allows people to do something that would otherwise be illegal. □ [+ in ] He uses his legal knowledge to exploit loopholes in the law.
loose ◆◇◇ /luː s/ (looser , loosest , looses , loosing , loosed )
1 ADJ Something that is loose is not firmly held or fixed in place. □ If a tooth feels very loose, your dentist may recommend that it's taken out. □ [+ from ] Two wooden beams had come loose from the ceiling. □ She idly pulled at a loose thread on her skirt. ● loose|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Tim clasped his hands together and held them loosely in front of his belly.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is loose is not attached to anything, or held or contained in anything. □ Frank emptied a handful of loose change on the table. □ A page came loose and floated onto the tiles.
3 ADJ [ADJ after v, ADJ n, v-link ADJ ] If people or animals break loose or are set loose , they are no longer held, tied, or kept somewhere and can move around freely. □ [+ from ] She broke loose from his embrace and crossed to the window. □ Why didn't you tell me she'd been set loose?
4 ADJ Clothes that are loose are rather large and do not fit closely. □ Wear loose clothes as they're more comfortable. ● loose|ly ADV [ADV after v, oft ADV -ed] □ His shirt hung loosely over his thin shoulders.
5 ADJ If your hair is loose , it hangs freely round your shoulders and is not tied back. □ She was still in her nightdress, with her hair hanging loose over her shoulders.
6 ADJ If something is loose in texture, there is space between the different particles or threads it consists of. □ She gathered loose soil and let it filter slowly through her fingers.
7 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A loose grouping, arrangement, or organization is flexible rather than strictly controlled or organized. □ Murray and Alison came to some sort of loose arrangement before he went home. □ He wants a loose coalition of left wing forces. ● loose|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ The investigation had aimed at a loosely organised group of criminals.
8 PHRASE If a person or an animal is on the loose , they are free because they have escaped from a person or place. □ Up to a thousand prisoners may be on the loose inside the jail.
9 a loose cannon → see cannon
10 all hell breaks loose → see hell
loo se e nd (loose ends )
1 N‑COUNT A loose end is part of a story, situation, or crime that has not yet been explained. □ [+ in ] There are some annoying loose ends in the plot.
2 PHRASE If you are at a loose end , you are bored because you do not have anything to do and cannot think of anything that you want to do. In American English, you usually say that you are at loose ends . [INFORMAL ] □ Adolescents are most likely to get into trouble when they're at a loose end.
loo se-fi tting also loose fitting ADJ [usu ADJ n] Loose-fitting clothes are rather large and do not fit tightly on your body.
loos|en /luː s ə n/ (loosens , loosening , loosened )
1 VERB If someone loosens restrictions or laws, for example, they make them less strict or severe. □ [V n] Drilling regulations, too, have been loosened to speed the development of the fields. ● loos|en|ing N‑SING □ [+ of ] Domestic conditions did not justify a loosening of monetary policy.
2 VERB If someone or something loosens the ties between people or groups of people, or if the ties loosen , they become weaker. □ [V n] The Federal Republic must loosen its ties with the United States. □ [V n] The deputy leader is cautious about loosening the links with the unions. □ [V ] The ties that bind them together are loosening.
3 VERB If you loosen your clothing or something that is tied or fastened or if it loosens , you undo it slightly so that it is less tight or less firmly held in place. □ [V n] Loosen the bolt so the bars can be turned. □ [V ] Her hair had loosened and was tangled around her shoulders.
4 VERB If you loosen something that is stretched across something else, you make it less stretched or tight. □ [V n] Insert a small knife into the top of the chicken breast to loosen the skin.