Noose Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms noose American [noos] / nus /

noun

1. a loop with a running knot, as in a snare, lasso, or hangman's halter, that tightens as the rope is pulled.

2. a tie or bond; snare.

verb (used with object)

noosed, noosing

1. to secure by or as by a noose.

2. to make a noose with or in (a rope or the like).

noose British / nuːs /

noun

1. a loop in the end of a rope or cord, such as a lasso, snare, or hangman's halter, usually tied with a slipknot

2. something that restrains, binds, or traps

3. to bring about one's own downfall

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to secure or catch in or as if in a noose

2. to make a noose of or in

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• nooser noun
• unnoosed adjective

Etymology

Origin of noose

1400–50; late Middle English nose < ?

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A relative told us it was "like a noose around our necks", and another expressed frustration that "you can't give them away".

From BBC

Then she hoists each dog onto a work table, attaching the animal loosely to a loop she cheerfully calls a noose.

From The Wall Street Journal

The reader feels the noose tighten and shares Ms. Chang’s distress as it becomes evident after 2018 that she can no longer visit her home country—or her mother’s deathbed.

From The Wall Street Journal

If rates keep climbing, the fiscal noose might tighten.

From Barron's

If rates keep climbing, the fiscal noose might tighten.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.