at a loose end

phrase

British
: not knowing what to do : not having anything in particular to do
With everyone on vacation she was at a loose end.
Drop by if you find yourself at a loose end this weekend.

Examples of at a loose end 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.
The long month of August is typically one of the busiest times of the year for police, with schools out for summer and many young people at a loose end. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 In ordinary times, the likes of Dawn would be dismissed as crackpots, but in pandemic limbo, with everyone bored and at a loose end, her weird suppositions start to get traction, sending everyone down internet rabbit holes. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 May 2025 With the pandemic bringing major events to a halt, however, the photographer found himself at a loose end. — Oscar Holland, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025 So Charles was left at a loose end, struggling to draw from the diminishing pool of debutantes who satisfied the stringent royal criteria. — Alexander Smith, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 Things settle into a more relaxed Britcom groove once Maurice, at a loose end with his children grown and retirement looming, finds his new calling — one that precisely no one else can hear. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Oct. 2021 This left Justine at a loose end, and Brett was right there to pick it up. — Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021 On the evening of February 16, 1961, 19-year-old Wilbert Rideau found himself at a loose end. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 11 Jan. 2021

Rhymes for at a loose end

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Browse Nearby Words

at all times
at a loose end
at a loss
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Cite this Entry

“At a loose end.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20a%20loose%20end. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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