What is the difference between loose and lose?

The words loose and lose are often confused with each other, especially when written down. While most mistakes can be attributed to typos, there are times when people simply confuse the two due to the similar sounds and spellings. The English language has many ways to pronounce oo, which does not help the situation any. As a result, these two poor, helpless words are often used (mistakenly) interchangeably.

To help clear up some confusion, the definitions of the two words are shown below.

Loose (loos) Adjective, Verb

Adjective. free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered

Verb. to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.

Lose (looz) Verb

Verb. 1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery

Verb. 2. to suffer defeat or fail to win, as in a contest, race, or game