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
-
The raptor stayed on top of her, even as the woman’s partner tried to free her.—
Joshua Rapp Learn,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 July 2025
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And, of course, using social media less could also free up more time for parents to spend playing with their kids.—
Kara Alaimo,
CNN Money,
13 July 2025
Verb
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The courage to do so calls for finding ways to liberate yourself from the inside out when pushing against external structures—whether that be pushback from friends or family who might criticize you for pursuing your desires to systems that weren’t set up to support you to succeed.—
Holly Corbett,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
What happened to Edward and Fritz Niland after the war ended? Edward was found alive in a Japanese POW camp in Rangoon and liberated on May 4, 1945.—
Emily Krauser,
People.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
The decision ultimately came down to releasing Stroman or optioning Schlitter, and the Yankees chose to cut ties with the veteran.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Weak jobs Just hours after the new tariff rates were announced, the Friday jobs report was released.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Two cats, a ferret and a dog were rescued, though the dog, a German shepherd, escaped and has not been found, fire Chief David Haywood said.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
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Two residents were rescued from windows as the house burned.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Work on resolving your insecurities and loosen the reins.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
22 July 2025
-
Amid diminishing box office returns and creative troubles, Marvel's vice-like grip on the cinematic superhero genre is loosening.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
19 July 2025
Verb
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Abolitionists, farmers, emancipated Blacks, mechanics, prohibitionists, and populists all used fusion voting during the 19th century to make sure that their voices were heard by their fellow citizens as well as the leaders of this vast, diverse nation.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
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The South American liberation leader Simón Bolívar emancipated the slave laborers who worked on his family’s estate—unlike George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.—
Book Marks
July 3,
Literary Hub,
3 July 2025
Verb
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For more ways to save on your power bill or to see if opting out makes sense for your budget, visit Cyberguy.com/SaveonPower 7) Monitor comfort and performance Keep an eye on how your AC performs during demand events.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
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Unfortunately, after consultations with the office, I was asked not to work this week to save my brain cells for the second half.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unchain. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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