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
The nationwide standalone 5G that the carrier announced Wednesday essentially unchains that service from 4G LTE, allowing devices to connect to the network without first requiring a setup via AT&T’s older and slower network.
—
PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
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
PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unchain
Verb
-
That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
-
Towers has been freed after posting $30,000 bail.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Aronofsky acknowledged fears over the impact of AI on creative industry jobs and human creativity, but suggested that ultimately the technology would liberate artists across all mediums.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
-
Nouvelle cuisine in France had begun to liberate chefs from the tightly wound traditions of French cooking.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Drake also released seven music videos on YouTube in the hours following the album drops.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
However, Giuliani, 81, ultimately recovered enough to be released.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The fire destroyed two structures — a cabin and an equipment shed — and forced the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees, who were rescued by a Santa Barbara County Fire Department helicopter.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Five people were rescued, authorities said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
At 2-0 down, and with Nuno Espirito Santo shuffling to a back-four, there was a flicker of a pulse and two decent saves from Nick Pope.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Jeffries had lived with his parents during law school to save money.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In another gun rights case, the justices may loosen a federal law aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous or irresponsible people.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
The results suggest a broad surge in support for loosening restrictions on research into substances such as psilocybin and MDMA to probe their potential for medical use.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
When Winter was 14 years old, she was placed in the care of her older sister and three years later, she was legally emancipated.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Once the Southern Crescent pulled into the station, all trains bound north were emancipated from Jim Crow laws.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unchain. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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