break loose

idiom

1
: to suddenly become loose : to suddenly stop being attached to something
One of the shutters broke loose during the storm.
2
: to get away from someone or something by using force or effort
The prisoner broke loose and ran away.
often + from
The prisoner broke loose from the guards.
She wants to break loose from the constraints of her middle-class life.

Examples of break loose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And yeah, there’s going to be conjuring of spirits; there’ll be some magic, some comedy, and maybe some hell’s gonna break loose during all of this. Scott Feinblatt, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024 In addition, as resistant bacteria enter the environment from those other sources, their genes can break loose and get taken up by other organisms, or be altered by exposure to soil microbes wielding defensive compounds of their own. Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2023 If generative AI were to spew out the unsavory words that were encountered during data training, all heck would break loose. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 Once several aliens break loose, the ship sets an emergency course back to earth. Rendy Jones, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for break loose 

Dictionary Entries Near break loose

Cite this Entry

“Break loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break%20loose. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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