unbuckle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
unbuckles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unbuckled,
past participle, past
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unbuckling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
unbuckles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unbuckled,
past participle, past
-
unbuckling
present participle
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
unbucklesimple
-
unbucklessimple
-
have unbuckledperfect
-
has unbuckledperfect
-
am unbucklingprogressive
-
are unbucklingprogressive
-
is unbucklingprogressive
-
have been unbucklingperfect progressive
-
has been unbucklingperfect progressive
Past
-
unbuckledsimple
-
had unbuckledperfect
-
was unbucklingprogressive
-
were unbucklingprogressive
-
had been unbucklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unbuckle
First recorded in 1350–1400, unbuckle is from the Middle English word unboclen. See un- 2, buckle
Explanation
To unbuckle is to release a belt or clasp — to unfasten. You're going to have to unbuckle your seat belt before you get out of the car. The verb unbuckle adds the prefix un- (""reverse of") to buckle, which stems from the Latin word buccula, "cheek strap of a helmet." So just as you buckle your helmet before you jump on your bike, you unbuckle it once you arrive at your friend's house.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Faye said she took off her mask so her seatmate could hear her and said “on the count of three I’m going to unbuckle him. We’re going to pull him out.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
After crossing in complete silence, he turned and told me to unbuckle the straps on my pack and follow exactly in his footsteps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
As the plane ascends to more than 50 miles above the Earth, passengers on board can unbuckle their seatbelts and float about the cabin for a few minutes.
From The Verge ● Feb. 15, 2022
There, the crew members can unbuckle their seat belts and experience weightlessness for several minutes before strapping back in.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 20, 2021
I unbuckle my seat belt, Libby climbs out of the car, and I squeeze past her through the open door.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
He unbuckles his seat belt and slides out of the car when he says, “A lot of my friends are dying.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 30, 2017
For instance, autopilot mode is designed to first issue a series of warnings, and ultimately slow the car to a stop if the driver unbuckles his seat belt or gets out of his seat.
From Slate ● Nov. 12, 2015
Poulin unbuckles this Germanic syntax and pares away words that obscure the image: Our heart survives between hammers, just as the tongue between the teeth is still able to praise.
From Time Magazine Archive
Balekin unbuckles his belt and hands it over to the servant.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
As he unbuckles the lap belt, John Ivers chuckles.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
He unbuckled the straps on his backpack to make it easier to wriggle out, just in case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
Alex Ovechkin unbuckled his chin strap and watched from the end of the bench as defenseman Rasmus Sandin went down clutching his left knee against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2023
I suspect your neighbors wouldn’t leave their children unbuckled if they knew it was illegal, or if their attention had been drawn to the benefits of buckling.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2022
Buckle Up: Studies show that unbuckled passengers in the back seat can put the driver at greater risk of injury in a crash.
From The Verge ● Feb. 16, 2022
After a moment he reached down and unbuckled his sword, theatrically, and handed it over with high drama in his face.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Footage shows passengers on Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight unbuckling their seatbelts and floating around, experiencing zero-gravity.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2023
After unbuckling their seatbelts and crawling out of the car, Ms. Fields and Mr. Zelada faced their next challenge: calling for help in a remote canyon with no cellphone reception.
From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 2022
These insects can generate exceptionally loud sounds by rapidly buckling and unbuckling drumlike structures on their bodies called tymbals.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 10, 2022
Romo’s incident followed Max Scherzer’s spectacle, finding himself unbuckling his belt in the middle of an inning before an umpire felt the Washington Nationals ace’s sweaty hair for any foreign substances.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 6, 2021
“Wait here a sec,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
