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• v  make loose or looser
  loosen the tension on a rope
• v  make less severe or strict
• v  become less severe or strict
• v  disentangle and raise the fibers of
• v  cause to become loose
  loosen the necktie
• v  make less dense
  loosen the soil
• v  become loose or looser or less tight
  The noose loosened

• To forge a viable connection with Cuba's 11 million beleaguered people, many analysts believe Raul will also have to loosen their leashes more than Fidel ever allowed.
• Her demand that French political leaders loosen laws against euthanasia has been rebuffed, so Sebire now awaits a judge's decision on whether existing legislation allows doctors .
• Eager to loosen Nike's hold on Chinese basketball, the shoe company flew Yi to New Jersey for its ABCD Camp in the summer of 2002.

• loose
• relax
• tease
• tease apart
• untie
• undo

• stiffen

News & Articles

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• China factory activity hits nine month low, policy action eyed
  By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June as demand faltered, a preliminary survey showed, heightening the risk of a sharper second quarter slowdown and increasing the heat on the central bank to loosen policy. China's economy grew at its slowest pace for 13 years in 2012 and so far this year data has been weaker than expected, bringing ...
  June 20, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! News
• China Factory Activity Skids to 9-Month Low
  Faltering demand pushed the country's factory activity down, heightening the risk of a sharper second quarter slowdown and increasing the heat on the central bank to loosen policy.
  June 20, 2013 - FOX Business
• Howie Mandel's Malibu house designed for any Californian whose heart is still stuck on the East Coast.
  Any billionaire looking for a prime New York residence and can loosen up enough cash to pay outright the $125 million price tag for the Pierre Penthouse, will have acquired one of the most lavish and opulent landmark apartments in the world.
  June 19, 2013 - Norwalk Reflector

Quotes

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• Dirk Nowitzki in Forbes
  I tried to walk it off at halftime and tried to loosen it up but I couldn't go. There was no need for it to get worse so I had to take the rest of the night off,Nowitzki said. "It hurt me to watch, but we made big shots down the stretch."
• Bobby Jenks in SI.com
  Coming into camp there was a little tightness back there, but I have been working all spring to loosen the back of my shoulder. I had no internal rotation,Jenks said. "The combination of that and today using bad mechanics of dropping my...
• Tyler Hansbrough in International Herald Tribune
  Coming in, I wasn't really sure I would play. I wanted to loosen it up a little bit,Hansbrough said. "I went over to Coach and told him I was ready to go, but I wasn't really sure until warmups."