Lose vs. Loose

Lose and loose are two words that are often misused in place of one another. Perhaps the source of confusion is that lose is a verb and loose, while sometimes an adjective, can also be a verb.

Let’s examine the differences between them.

Lose is a verb. A few common definitions are:

• to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery.
• to suffer the deprivation of.
• to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.).

Examples of the correct usage of lose:

• Allie didn’t want to lose her place in line.
• Carmen lost her mother in a car accident in 1997.
• Sharon knew that her basketball team was going to lose the tournament on Saturday.

Loose can be an adjective or a verb.

Some common definitions of the adjective loose are:

• free or released from fastening or attachment.
• free from anything that binds or restrains.
• not put up in a package or other container.
• not firm, taut, or rigid.

Examples of the correct usage of the adjective loose are:

• The eggs in the “local farms” area of the supermarket are loose; I pick which ones I want and later place them in a carton.
• The bolt on the wheel was loose; I was afraid the wheel would come off the bike.

Some common definitions of the verb loose are:

• to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.
• to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.
• to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.
• to make less tight; slacken or relax.

Examples of the correct usage of the verb loose are:

• On Saturday, Jenn let the parrot loose from the aviary.
• My dad loosened the bolt on my bicycle wheel to fix it.

Quick quiz (answers are below — don’t look ahead!):

1. After ____________ (-ing form) a good amount of weight, John found that his pants were ____________.
2. The doves were set ___________ on a sunny day.
3. You’re going to ___________ in this situation unless you tell him the truth.
4. I don’t want to ____________ you as a colleague.
5. He left the screw too ____________, so the frame fell off the wall.

Answers:

1. losing, loose
2. loose
3. lose
4. lose
5. loose

Thanks to www.dictionary.com for the above definitions.