Dictionary

loosen up en · VERB

Etymology

Compare Old Norse leysa upp (“loosen up”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To become loose; to loosen; to relax (a muscle, etc.).
2. (colloquial) To relax; to act less seriously.
   • Michael in turn benefits from Tom. He loosens up a bit, stops talking so much like one of the bad novels he used to read, and learns to give his intellect a rest once in a while in deference to the emotions. 1983 December 31, Kenneth Hale-Wehmann, “The Business of Sex and Affection”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 24, page 8:

Forms