unthread

American  

[uhn-thred] / ʌnˈθrɛd /

verb (used with object)

1. to draw out or take out the thread from.

   to unthread a sewing machine.

2. to thread one's way through or out of, as a densely wooded forest.

3. to disentangle; separate out of a raveled or confused condition.

   to unthread a mystery.

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unthread British  

/ ʌnˈθrɛd /

verb

1. to draw out the thread or threads from (a needle, etc)

2. to disentangle

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Etymology

Origin of unthread

First recorded in 1585–95; un- ² + thread

Example Sentences

I’ve been asking people in and out of government to unthread these questions.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2023

You can usually unthread and reattach everything by hand.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2021

I now feel very strongly about the length of my index fingers — enough that I will sometimes shyly unthread my hand from my girlfriend’s as we walk down the street.

From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2018

The more he broke, the easier it was to unthread the fence, and soon he’d created a hole big enough to drive through.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

He has also unthreaded the light of the sun, as ladies unthread a tissue of gold.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 20, No. 566, September 15, 1832 by Various