release

[ ri-lees ]

verb (used with object)

, re·leased, re·leas·ing.

1. to free from confinement, bondage, obligation, pain, etc.; let go:

   to release a prisoner; to release someone from a debt.

   Synonyms: deliver, loose

   Antonyms: bind

2. to free from anything that restrains, fastens, etc.:

   to release a catapult.

   Synonyms: disengage, extricate, loose

   Antonyms: fasten

3. to allow to be known, issued, done, or exhibited:

   to release an article for publication.

   Synonyms: publish, announce

4. Law. to give up, relinquish, or surrender (a right, claim, etc.).

noun

1. a freeing or releasing from confinement, obligation, pain, emotional strain, etc.

   Synonyms: emancipation, deliverance, liberation

2. liberation from anything that restrains or fastens.
3. some device or agency for effecting such liberation.
4. a grant of permission, as to publish, use, or sell something.
5. the releasing of something for publication, performance, use, exhibition, or sale.
6. the film, book, record, etc., that is released.
7. press release.
8. Law.
   1. the surrender of a right or the like to another.
   2. a document embodying such a surrender.
9. Law Obsolete. a remission, as of a debt, tax, or tribute.
10. Machinery.
    1. a control mechanism for starting or stopping a machine, especially by removing some restrictive apparatus.
    2. the opening of an exhaust port or valve at or near the working stroke of an engine so that the working fluid can be exhausted on the return stroke.
    3. the point in the stroke of an engine at which the exhaust port or valve is opened.
11. (in jazz or popular music) a bridge.

release

/ rɪˈliːs /

verb

1. to free (a person, animal, etc) from captivity or imprisonment
2. to free (someone) from obligation or duty
3. to free (something) from (one's grip); let go or fall
4. to issue (a record, film, book, etc) for sale or circulation
5. to make (news or information) known or allow (news or information) to be made known

   to release details of an agreement

6. law to relinquish (a right, claim, title, etc) in favour of someone else
7. ethology to evoke (a response) through the presentation of a stimulus that produces the response innately

noun

1. the act of freeing or state of being freed, as from captivity, imprisonment, duty, pain, life, etc
2. the act of issuing for sale or publication
3. something issued for sale or public showing, esp a film or a record

   a new release from Bob Dylan

4. a news item, document, etc, made available for publication, broadcasting, etc
5. law the surrender of a claim, right, title, etc, in favour of someone else
6. a control mechanism for starting or stopping an engine
7. 1. the opening of the exhaust valve of a steam engine near the end of the piston stroke
   2. the moment at which this valve opens
8. the electronic control regulating how long a note sounds after a synthesizer key has been released
9. the control mechanism for the shutter in a camera

Derived Forms

• reˈleaser, noun

Other Words From

• re·leasa·bili·ty noun
• re·leasa·ble re·leasi·ble adjective
• nonre·lease noun
• unre·leasa·ble adjective
• unre·leasi·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of release¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb reles(s)en, relecen, from Old French relesser, relaissier, releiss(i)er, from Latin relaxāre “to loosen, stretch out”; Middle English noun reles(s)e, releise, from Old French reles, relais, releis, back formation from relesser, relaisser, releiss(i)er; lax, relax

Word History and Origins

Origin of release¹

C13: from Old French relesser , from Latin relaxāre to slacken; see relax

Synonym Study

Release, free, dismiss, discharge, liberate, emancipate may all mean to set at liberty, let loose, or let go. Release and free, when applied to persons, suggest a helpful action. Both may be used (not always interchangeably) of delivering a person from confinement or obligation: to free or release prisoners. Free (less often, release ) is also used for delivering a person from pain, sorrow, etc.: to free from fear. Dismiss, meaning to send away, usually has the meaning of forcing to go unwillingly ( to dismiss a servant ), but may refer to giving permission to go: The teacher dismissed the class early. Discharge, meaning originally to relieve of a burden ( to discharge a gun ), has come to refer to that which is sent away, and is often a close synonym to dismiss; it is used in the meaning permit to go in connection with courts and the armed forces: The court discharged a man accused of robbery. Liberate and emancipate, more formal synonyms for release and free, also suggest action intended to be helpful. Liberate suggests particularly the release from unjust punishment, oppression, and the like, and often means to set free through forcible action or military campaign: They liberated the prisoners, the occupied territories, etc. Emancipate also suggests a release of some size and consequence, but one that is less overt, a more formal or legal freedom; and it sometimes connotes an inner liberation: Lincoln emancipated enslaved African Americans. John emancipated himself.

Example Sentences

The Nov. 5 election results weren't mentioned in the release, and the round-the-world journey was created before the election.

From Salon

Travelers can choose from a "1-Year Escape from Reality," a "2-Year Mid-Term Selection," a "3-Year Everywhere but Home" and a "4-Year Skip Forward," the release said.

From Salon

The company touted the trips in a news release days after Trump won another term.

From Salon

Per Trump’s press release, it amounts to a basic report of recommended job cuts.

From Slate

From the sound of that press release, it sure seems like they’ll just be turning in a glorified recommendations report, written by a combination of A.I. chatbots and underpaid interns, to present to Trump on the occasion of America’s semiquincentennial, represented alongside the Dogecoin Shiba Inu.

From Slate

Related Words

• announcement
• issue
• leak