unlash

American

[uhn-lash] / ʌnˈlæʃ /

verb (used with object)

to loosen, unfasten, or detach, as something lashed or tied fast.

unlash British

/ ʌnˈlæʃ /

verb

(tr) to untie or unfasten

"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

Etymology

Origin of unlash

First recorded in 1740–50; un- ² + lash ²

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.

"Off with the luggage then, driver," said the policeman—"here hand the small trunk, and now away and unlash there behind."

From Pierre; or The Ambiguities by Melville, Herman

They knew well they had a Titan in custody, and did not even unlash his hands.

From A Victor of Salamis by Davis, William Stearns

It was an ancient cavern beneath the rim of a low cliff which overlooked the town and as Denver was helping to unlash the packs Bunker Hill came toiling up the trail.

From Silver and Gold A Story of Luck and Love in a Western Mining Camp by Coolidge, Dane

“You’ll unlash them every night when you’re piped to do so, and you’ll lash them up, out of the way, every morning, just as if you were aboard a battleship.”

From Two Boys of the Battleship or For the Honor of Uncle Sam by Webster, Frank V.

They forgot to unlash the wheels before they started, so the dog-cart came up-street on skids, as it were, screaming holy murder on the granite flags—which in turn saved the near wheel from destruction.

From Guns of the Gods by Mundy, Talbot

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