unleash

American  

[uhn-leesh] / ʌnˈliʃ /

verb (used with object)

• unleashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• unleashed,
  past participle,  past
• unleashing
  present participle

1. to release from or as if from a leash; set loose to pursue or run at will.

2. to abandon control of.

   to unleash his fury.

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unleash British  

/ ʌnˈliːʃ /

verb

1. to release from or as if from a leash

2. to free from restraint or control

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• unleashing
  present
• unleashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• unleash
  simple
• unleashes
  simple
• have unleashed
  perfect
• has unleashed
  perfect
• am unleashing
  progressive
• are unleashing
  progressive
• is unleashing
  progressive
• have been unleashing
  perfect progressive
• has been unleashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• unleashed
  simple
• had unleashed
  perfect
• was unleashing
  progressive
• were unleashing
  progressive
• had been unleashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will unleash
  simple
• will have unleashed
  perfect
• will be unleashing
  progressive
• will have been unleashing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of unleash

First recorded in 1665–75; un- ² + leash

Explanation

When you remove your dog's leash so she can run wildly across the beach, you unleash her — you set her loose. And when you unleash a storm of insults against your brother, you allow them to flow freely from your lips. There are two ways to use the verb unleash. Literally, it means "set loose," like when a police officer unleashes her trained dog to sniff luggage for illegal drugs, or a farmer unleashes her llama after moving it into a pen. Figuratively, you can unleash all kinds of emotions, forces, opinions, and actions. Unhappy citizens might unleash a series of high-profile protests, or a barrage of shouted demands, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unleash unleashes unleashed unleashing

The expected rush has caused trepidation for the authorities, who are pleading for caution amid fears that the heavenly phenomenon will unleash hell on the ground.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

More details on the Treasury’s latest plans for financing the government will be released later in the week, and any surprise could unleash more volatility.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

The business of explosives is booming as Western governments unleash spending to bring production home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Refn: We were both naive idealists and we both had an enormous amount of emotions within us that we were trying to find places to unleash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Guerrilla warfare, he explained, was not designed to win a military victory so much as to unleash political and economic forces that would bring down the enemy.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

“The Beloved’s” actual director, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, unleashes his leads to become a tag team of destruction, each blaming the other for what’s going wrong on set.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Count Glenn Whipp in Camp Mulligan: “Her dry put-downs mask a fury that she eventually unleashes with seismic force. Mulligan has been consistently great, but I don’t remember her being this ferocious — or funny.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

He fielded a series of questions on Iran, Cuba and China with a relaxed style and dashes of humor -- and little of the invective that Trump often unleashes in his briefing room appearances.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

Other researchers have investigated how “heat stress” that comes from exposure to high temperatures unleashes what are called heat-shock proteins, which are cellular molecules that help repair other proteins in cells.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

She unleashes a long sigh and adds, “I’m sorry.”

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

But his brand of market reformism, which lifted millions out of poverty but unleashed inequality, fell out of vogue with the ascent of Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader in generations, in 2012.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

He was unleashed against PSG - and quickly repaid the faith shown by boss Unai Emery.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Leading the charge is the Defense Department, which unleashed a spree of deals securing equity in future gallium producer Atlantic Alumina and Canadian mining company Trilogy Metals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

In the bombsight’s crosshairs sat Emperor Hirohito, a gentle, scholarly figure unprepared for the maelstrom unleashed at Pearl Harbor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

She was some kind of wild tiger unleashed into the airless room.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 aimed at "unleashing" these seabed resources, stressing the demand in everything from renewable energy to military applications.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

They’re angry about how technology companies are unleashing new technologies recklessly, without accountability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

After unleashing a superb backhand winner from an acute angle off the court, she broke into a broad grin and spread her arms out in a gesture that suggested she was surprising even herself.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Lawyers anticipate most will not be settled, unleashing a flood of lawsuits starting this summer.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

By the summer of 1940, the Nazis had conquered most of Europe, and they were unleashing their bombers on Britain.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield