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 its easy setup and free unlimited storage, family members can instantly share photos from anywhere.—
Jené Luciani Sena
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
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Experts agree that the new political landscape has freed up states to explore other methods that may have struggled to hold up under a more liberal court.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
Verb
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The same technology that could liberate human curiosity could just as easily extinguish it.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2025
-
By the end of the session in August, Congress codified a process for Butler-like actions by army officers to assume jurisdiction over any enslaved people who liberated themselves by sneaking into Union lines.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
Also on Tuesday morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its monthly look at U.S. import and export prices — a report that historically hasn't gotten a ton of attention, but now provides another way to measure the impact of tariffs.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
15 June 2025
-
On Sunday at 2:18 a.m. the NWS Raleigh NC released a flood watch valid between 1 p.m. and 11 p.m.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
15 June 2025
Verb
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The Oscar winner and nominee, respectively, star as Kevin McKay and Mary Ludwig, a bus driver and a teacher, who helped rescue a bus full of children.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
8 June 2025
-
Stern, a multiple-tour combat veteran of the U.S. Army and Navy who now rescues people for a living, told Fox News Digital.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
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The ruling Wednesday evening marked the latest setback for Apple in its long-running legal battle with Epic Games, which first sued the iPhone maker in 2020 in an attempt to force Apple to loosen its grip on purchases in apps that utilize its iOS operating system.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
5 June 2025
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Stir in chicken stock and wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
5 June 2025
Verb
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House Bill 168, introduced by Democrat Texas state Representative Jon Rosenthal, aims to prohibit all marriages involving individuals under 18, including those who are legally emancipated.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
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The 'Modern Family' star faced challenges growing up, including emancipating from her mother at 17.—
Gillian Telling,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
-
Molly saves the day, grabbing a teapot from a closet, where she’s been saving a secret stash of cash.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
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On the plus side, Hershel finally perfected his knife-throwing just in time to save mom Maggie from becoming Grizzly Chow.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unchain. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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