Lock up and Loosen

Opposite meaning terms

Lock up verb - To put in or as if in prison.

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Loosen is an antonym for lock up in topics: tie, attach, grasp, hold back, obligate.

Loosen verb - To set free (as from slavery or confinement).

Usage example: the secret police have ways of loosening your tongue

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Lock up is an antonym for loosen.

Nearby Words: loose, looseness, loosely, loosening, loosener

Cite this Source

Loosen and Lock up. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/lock_up/loosen

Lock up & Loosen. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/lock_up/loosen>.

Loosen or Lock up. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/lock_up/loosen.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "lock up" and "loosen" have occurred on timeline