lax

plural laxes

1. ScotlandUKdialectalA salmon.

comparative laxer · superlative laxest

1. Lenient and allowing for deviation; not strict.

   The rules are fairly lax, but you have to know which ones you can bend.

   1 more example

   Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax, in matters of the passions.

   1886, John Addington Symonds, Philip Sidney

   Synonyms: permissive, lenient, relaxed, clement, easygoing, forbearing, indulgent, lenient · Antonyms: strict

2. Loose; not tight or taut.

   The rope fell lax.

   2 more examples

   The Fleſh of this ſort of [cartilaginous] Fiſh being lax and ſpungy, and nothing ſo firm, ſolid and weighty as that of the bony Fiſhes, and there being a good quantity of Air contained in the Cavity of their Abdomen, they cannot ſink in the Water without letting in ſome of it by theſe Holes (the Orifices whereof are opened and ſhut at pleaſure by the help of Muſcles provided for that purpoſe) into the hollow of their Bellies, whereby they preponderate the Water and deſcend; […]

   1701, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation, […], 3rd edition, London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, […], →OCLC, part II, page 355

   Sreedharan and Mirsa (1973) reported that two lax panicle mutants, designated as nude panicle mutation, were obtained from the M₂ of two rice cultivars.

   1979, “Genetical Studies on Dense and Lax Panicles In Rice”, in Japan. J. Breed., volume 29, number 2, page 151

   Synonyms: loose, slack · Antonyms: taut, tight

3. Lacking care; neglectful, negligent.

   2 more examples

   The guard was paying no attention whatever to the running of his train, in total disregard of rules, and, as the recently-published report of a Ministry of Transport Inspecting Officer of Railways shows, there were other disquieting features in the case, such as ignorance on the part of responsible men of rules and appendix instructions and a lax attitude to regulations of which they professed to be aware, combined with failure to look at staff notice boards.

   1956 September, “Notes and News: The Barby Sidings Accident Report”, in Railway Magazine, page 638

   Prior to this match, Albion had only scored three league goals all season, but Wes Brown's lax marking allowed Morrison to head in their fourth from a Chris Brunt free-kick and then, a minute later, the initial squandering of possession and Michael Turner's lack of pace let Long run through to slot in another.

   2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 – 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport

   Synonyms: blameworthy, lash, negligent, remiss, reprehensible

4. mathematicsDescribing an associative monoidal functor.
5. archaicHaving a looseness of the bowels; diarrheic.
6. human sciences(of a vowel) Produced with relatively little constriction of the vocal tract.

   Synonyms: slack

1. slanguncountablelacrosse.

   “I'm not playing lax this term,” Mimah said.

   2010, Kate Kingsley, Pretty on the Outside, page 79

plural laxes

1. abbreviationclippinginformalClipping of laxative.

1. Los Angeles International Airport

   Nothing happened, mind your business yo step / You know we connect, JFK 2 LAX

   1998, “JFK 2 LAX”, in Moment of Truth, performed by Gang Starr

   3 more examples

   I have visited more than half a dozen carrier training facilities, spent over 150 hours on jumpseats, piloted a Lockheed 1011 from MIA to LAX, visited numerous towers, rapcons, and centers, and discussed our commercial Air Transport System with everyone involved.

   1975, John H. Reed, National Transportation Safety Board, Safety Information, page 30

   Fortunately, most of these were former French colonies, and through a combination of quiet diplomacy and well-placed French nationals in the various air-traffic-control centers, the 300-mile-long stream of American aircraft flew the width of Africa as uneventfully as a red-eye flight from LAX to JFK.

   1994, Tom Clancy, Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, page 281

   By the time I landed at LAX and switched my phone out of airplane mode, Hasan Piker had been streaming for three hours.

   2025 March 17, Andrew Marantz, “The Battle for the Bros”, in The New Yorker, →ISSN, archived from the original on 17 Mar 2025

plural Laxes

1. A surname.