as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
activists for animal rights who would like to unchain zoo animals and return them to the wild
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Recent Examples of unchain
When Henson refused to unchain herself from the fence, California Highway Patrol arrested her.
—
Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Max eventually unchains himself and helps Furiosa in her quest to free the cult leader's wives, gaining mutual respect along the way.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 July 2024
Van Gogh had unchained it from its age-old funereal associations and reinvented it as a tour de force of emotional connection and nurturance.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023
The Shambala Center would unchain our brains Through mindfulness, yoga, and chanted refrains.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023
On Wednesday, the rescuers carefully lifted the shed enough to reach Bubbles and unchain the dog.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 3 Sep. 2021
The feds give an official exemption to Nuro, a company working on small self-driving cars—a sign that regulators are willing to unchain autonomous vehicles from the old rules.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired, 9 Feb. 2020
Police say the three protesters had the ability to unchain themselves from the equipment but refused.
—USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2019
This most recent stretch includes half of his six big league homers, moments in which Naylor’s unchained enthusiasm for the game has teammates tripping over themselves to get out of his way.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2019
Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Max eventually unchains himself and helps Furiosa in her quest to free the cult leader's wives, gaining mutual respect along the way.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 July 2024
Van Gogh had unchained it from its age-old funereal associations and reinvented it as a tour de force of emotional connection and nurturance.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023
The Shambala Center would unchain our brains Through mindfulness, yoga, and chanted refrains.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023
On Wednesday, the rescuers carefully lifted the shed enough to reach Bubbles and unchain the dog.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 3 Sep. 2021
The feds give an official exemption to Nuro, a company working on small self-driving cars—a sign that regulators are willing to unchain autonomous vehicles from the old rules.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired, 9 Feb. 2020
Police say the three protesters had the ability to unchain themselves from the equipment but refused.
—USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2019
This most recent stretch includes half of his six big league homers, moments in which Naylor’s unchained enthusiasm for the game has teammates tripping over themselves to get out of his way.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unchain
Verb
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With drones, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery, rescue operators have been working around the clock to free dozens of people thought to be trapped inside.—
Jan Camenzind Broomby,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2025
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Removing them will free up space and improve performance.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The good news is that Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s legitimate government have already done the heavy lifting, liberating around 80% of Yemeni territory.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
Fox News,
18 Mar. 2025
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Speaking on the regular call with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed confidence that all parts of the Kursk region held by Ukraine will soon be liberated.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Sauce, a Houston native, began his hip-hop career in 2007 and has since released multiple mixtapes.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The pope had previously only been seen once during his lengthy hospital stay when the Vatican released a photograph of Francis praying at the hospital’s chapel.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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An 82-year-old Louisiana man was rescued by authorities after spending multiple hours stuck in thick mud while fishing.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Two members of Landi’s crew survived by clinging onto pieces of wood until a passing vessel rescued them the next day.—
Ian Urbina,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That stance loosened about 15 years ago, primarily in baseball.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Steam loosens any dirt on the floor, even working up sticky residue.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At the age of 14, Culkin emancipated himself from his parents.—
Janelle Ash,
Fox News,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The mother-daughter duo went their separate ways when Drew was emancipated at the age of 14.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While Jun-no’s priority is saving the company, more than a few executives are focused on saving themselves.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The anime follows secret agents hunting for a vaccine to save humanity.—
Rebecca Luther,
TVLine,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unchain. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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