release

American  

[ri-lees] / rɪˈlis /

verb (used with object)

• releases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• released,
  past participle,  past
• releasing
  present participle

1. to free from confinement, bondage, obligation, pain, etc.; let go.

   to release a prisoner; to release someone from a debt.

   Synonyms:

   deliver, loose

   Antonyms:

   bind

2. to free from anything that restrains, fastens, etc..

   to release a catapult.

   Synonyms:

   disengage, extricate, loose

   Antonyms:

   fasten

3. to allow to be known, issued, done, or exhibited.

   to release an article for publication.

   Synonyms:

   publish, announce

4. Law. to give up, relinquish, or surrender (a right, claim, etc.).

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noun

• releases
  plural

1. a freeing or releasing from confinement, obligation, pain, emotional strain, etc.

   Synonyms:

   emancipation, deliverance, liberation

2. liberation from anything that restrains or fastens.

3. some device or agency for effecting such liberation.

4. a grant of permission, as to publish, use, or sell something.

5. the releasing of something for publication, performance, use, exhibition, or sale.

6. the film, book, record, etc., that is released.

7. press release.

8. Law.

   1. the surrender of a right or the like to another.

   2. a document embodying such a surrender.

9. Law Obsolete. a remission, as of a debt, tax, or tribute.

10. Machinery.

    1. a control mechanism for starting or stopping a machine, especially by removing some restrictive apparatus.

    2. the opening of an exhaust port or valve at or near the working stroke of an engine so that the working fluid can be exhausted on the return stroke.

    3. the point in the stroke of an engine at which the exhaust port or valve is opened.

11. (in jazz or popular music) a bridge.

release British  

/ rɪˈliːs /

verb

1. to free (a person, animal, etc) from captivity or imprisonment

2. to free (someone) from obligation or duty

3. to free (something) from (one's grip); let go or fall

4. to issue (a record, film, book, etc) for sale or circulation

5. to make (news or information) known or allow (news or information) to be made known

   to release details of an agreement

6. law to relinquish (a right, claim, title, etc) in favour of someone else

7. ethology to evoke (a response) through the presentation of a stimulus that produces the response innately

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noun

1. the act of freeing or state of being freed, as from captivity, imprisonment, duty, pain, life, etc

2. the act of issuing for sale or publication

3. something issued for sale or public showing, esp a film or a record

   a new release from Bob Dylan

4. a news item, document, etc, made available for publication, broadcasting, etc

5. law the surrender of a claim, right, title, etc, in favour of someone else

6. a control mechanism for starting or stopping an engine

7. 1. the opening of the exhaust valve of a steam engine near the end of the piston stroke

   2. the moment at which this valve opens

8. the electronic control regulating how long a note sounds after a synthesizer key has been released

9. the control mechanism for the shutter in a camera

Usage

What is a basic definition of release? Release means to free from imprisonment or confinement, to free from anything that is acting as a constraint, or to allow something to be out in the open. The word release has many other senses as a verb and a noun. When a person is released, they are freed from their captivity or anything else that was hindering their freedom. This sense of release is an antonym of words like imprison, detain, or confine.

• Real-life examples: A person is released from prison once they complete their sentence. For the most part, a person is released from debt if they declare bankruptcy. Parents often force children to release wild animals back to wherever they came from.
• Used in a sentence: Whenever I go fishing, I always release the fish back into the water after catching them. 

Release is also used in this same sense as a noun.

• Used in a sentence: The king paid for the release of his son from the enemy. 

Release is also used figuratively to mean to free anything from any kind of restraint.

• Used in a sentence: I released the rope and let it fall down into the hole.  

Release can also mean to allow something to be freely distributed or sold to the public.

• Real-life examples: Authors release new books. Musicians release new albums. The government sometimes releases information to the press. Researchers release the results of tests or studies to the public.
• Used in a sentence: Stephen King just released a new book that I really want to read.

Release is used in this same sense as a noun.

• Used in a sentence: People lined up to buy Beyoncé’s newest release. 

Synonym Usage

Release, free, dismiss, discharge, liberate, emancipate may all mean to set at liberty, let loose, or let go. Release and free, when applied to persons, suggest a helpful action. Both may be used (not always interchangeably) of delivering a person from confinement or obligation: to free or release prisoners. Free (less often, release ) is also used for delivering a person from pain, sorrow, etc.: to free from fear. Dismiss, meaning to send away, usually has the meaning of forcing to go unwillingly ( to dismiss a servant ), but may refer to giving permission to go: The teacher dismissed the class early. Discharge, meaning originally to relieve of a burden ( to discharge a gun ), has come to refer to that which is sent away, and is often a close synonym to dismiss; it is used in the meaning permit to go in connection with courts and the armed forces: The court discharged a man accused of robbery. Liberate and emancipate, more formal synonyms for release and free, also suggest action intended to be helpful. Liberate suggests particularly the release from unjust punishment, oppression, and the like, and often means to set free through forcible action or military campaign: They liberated the prisoners, the occupied territories, etc. Emancipate also suggests a release of some size and consequence, but one that is less overt, a more formal or legal freedom; and it sometimes connotes an inner liberation: Lincoln emancipated enslaved African Americans. John emancipated himself.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrelease
  noun
• releasability
  noun
• releaser
  noun
• releasable
  adjective
• releasible
  adjective
• unreleasable
  adjective
• unreleasible
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• releases
  plural

Participles

• releasing
  present
• released
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• release
  simple
• releases
  simple
• have released
  perfect
• has released
  perfect
• am releasing
  progressive
• are releasing
  progressive
• is releasing
  progressive
• have been releasing
  perfect progressive
• has been releasing
  perfect progressive

Past

• released
  simple
• had released
  perfect
• was releasing
  progressive
• were releasing
  progressive
• had been releasing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will release
  simple
• will have released
  perfect
• will be releasing
  progressive
• will have been releasing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of release

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb reles(s)en, relecen, from Old French relesser, relaissier, releiss(i)er, from Latin relaxāre “to loosen, stretch out”; Middle English noun reles(s)e, releise, from Old French reles, relais, releis, back formation from relesser, relaisser, releiss(i)er; see origin at lax, relax

Explanation

To release something or someone is to set it free, like a caged animal or a prisoner. “I shall be released” is a famous refrain from a 1967 Bob Dylan song that has come to symbolize political freedom around the world. Release, which is a noun and a verb, has many different meanings. As a noun, it can mean a liberation, an unfastening, or the condition of being made available, like a movie or a CD. “When is the new Spiderman movie being released?” you might ask your best friend. As a verb, it can mean to relieve of suffering or obligation, like a debt. But it can also mean to lay off from a job, or surrender. “Release me from having to watch this terrible movie!” you could end up saying about the 16th Spiderman sequel. And who would blame you?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

release releases released releasing

Two of his killers – Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers – will be eligible for early release next year under revised government plans to tackle prison overcrowding.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The theme also dominated his six-minute farewell video timed to release after death.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Hearing board members echoed fears from the community about the potential release of ammonia, a flammable and highly toxic gas that was used as a refrigerant for Lineage’s freezers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

But model advances were “smaller than normal” in the second quarter, William Blair analyst Ralph Schackart wrote in a note, adding that the company’s next model release was delayed until after the quarter ended.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

Galya grabbed the emergency canopy release and the top of the cockpit “flew off instantly, like a piece of paper.”

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Singapore has the largest public sector deployment, called Project Wolbachia which started in 2016 and now releases more than 10 million every week.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

More shares will become eligible to trade in August and September, with additional releases set to continue through December in one of the largest post-IPO share unlocks in U.S. market history.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Major earnings releases include drug maker Eli Lilly and Walt Disney.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Estate manager Gareth Fulton said that "really excitingly" birds from previous releases had paired up and returned to nest at the site.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Dylan releases himself from the Arthur-Sam-wich to wrap Ben in a bear hug.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

He said that because the "death of Andrew was such a serious and tragic case", Bowers and Coles should "not be afforded the opportunity" to be released early.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Meanwhile, factory orders, released Thursday, unexpectedly rose 3.1% in June, suggesting manufacturing activity could remain resilient into the second half of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Earlier Thursday, conservative political commentator Sean Hannity released an episode featuring Hilton that was recorded in recent weeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Time: Whether earnings are released AM — before the open — or PM — after the close.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

When she released me, she squeezed my cheeks between her hands and said, “Isn’t he beautiful? Our nephew, Sisters! Anna’s son! Who could ever have known?”

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

In releasing the track, Boy George presumably wanted to turn heads, to make a statement.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

"It was really good of them to say yes," Matt said, "as they've just been touring and releasing their own merch recently too".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

It is a vicious loop, with increased wildfires releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, accelerating planetary warming.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

Ted comes back to Richmond to coach a second-division women’s football team, with Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift returning and episodes releasing weekly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Ella yanked her gran's quilt over her head, the patches threaded with light ribbons releasing a tiny, comforting glow.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• clear
• deliver
• discharge
• drop
• free
• issue
• leak
• surrender