Lose vs. loose …which is right?
Short Answer
Loose: able to be removed, not tight
Lose: to misplace something, to be deprived of something
Long Answer
Many people, while perusing the newspaper or a book, do not know the difference between lose and loose. Common mistake? We think so.
Loose is most often used as an adjective and means “not tightly attached” or “easily set free”; for example, her shoes were too big for her feet and were therefore very loose.
Lose, on the other hand, is a verb and means “to no longer have something”; for example, her shoes were too big for her feet, causing her to lose them every time she started running.
If it helps, use both words in the same sentence to help keep their meanings disparate: because her shoes were too big and loose, she was always losing them.
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