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• v  make loose or looser
• v  make less severe or strict
• v  become less severe or strict
• v  disentangle and raise the fibers of
• v  cause to become loose
• v  make less dense
• v  become loose or looser or less tight
  The noose loosened
• s  straightened out

• Has the nanny state loosened up and is now tolerating porn? Can that be happening? As with many things in Singapore, not everything is as it seems.
• He put his finger to his lips signaling for me to be quiet and then loosened my ropes to relieve my pain.
• In 1995 Clinton loosened housing rules by rewriting the Community Reinvestment Act, which put added pressure on banks to lend in low-income neighborhoods.

• loosen
• loose
• relax
• tease
• tease apart
• untie
• undo
• disentangled
• unsnarled

• stiffen

News & Articles

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• Couple wades standing water in backyard
  A 75-foot Evergreen tree in Robert and Annette Persa's backyard fell over in the wind after its roots were loosened by standing water that has filled the couple's yard for almost two years.
  June 14, 2013 - Huntley Farmside
• City: Food trucks OK except at night in downtown
  The city has loosened restrictions on food and vending trucks operating in most areas of Fullerton – but the trucks will still be banned from doing business in downtown during nighttime hours. The current law prohibits the trucks from operating...
  June 13, 2013 - Fullerton News Tribune
• Riders race for jackpot at Posse arena
  The parking lot outside the Lee County Sheriff's Posse Arena was filled with horse trailers. Inside and outside the arena, girls and a few guys rode their horses to get them loosened up in hopes of bringing home some cash.
  June 12, 2013 - North Fort Myers Neighbor

Quotes

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• LeBron James in msnbc.com
  Throughout the game it loosened up,said James, who will receive his MVP trophy on Sunday in his hometown of Akron. "I have a no-excuse policy. This team has a no-excuse policy. ...... We're about coming out and competing against the...
• Barack Obama in Rocky Mountain News
  For eight years, we've had policies that have shredded consumer protections, that have loosened oversight on regulation and encouraged outside bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class America,Obama said. "The result is the most serious...
• Andy Pettitte in KSL-TV
  I still feel it a little bit, but it feels a lot better than it did yesterday,Pettitte said. "Definitely feel like I could get out over my front side a little bit more. The good thing today is that I felt like it loosened up as I threw. I...