Standard Lemma guide

footloose

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • CMU ARPABET: F UH1 T L UW2 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Tending to travel or do as one pleases; readily without many commitments or responsibility.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He was footloose in his youth.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a sail: not properly secured at the bottom.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

free to go or do as one pleases

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Americans have always been a footloose people always moving on
  • a footloose young man eager to see the big city

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From foot + loose.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: svobodný — tending to travel
  • Czech: volný — tending to travel
  • Czech: bez závazků — tending to travel
  • German: ungebunden — tending to travel
  • Spanish: despreocupado — tending to travel
  • Spanish: sin compromiso — tending to travel
  • Spanish: libre — tending to travel
Real reading context

footloose in complete knowledge articles