unbuckle
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used without object)
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:
"I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out," Vishwashkumar Ramesh told Indian state media DD News.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2025
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
I leaned down to unbuckle my boots, shouldering my pack to the ground for a final time.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2022
The chief claimed Solis had struck him while he was trying to pull her out of her car and she was trying to unbuckle her seat belt.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2021
I unbuckle one seat belt and sit up.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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
He unbuckles the helmet, takes it off his head, and hands it to me.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
As they unbuckled, she reached up and pushed the call button.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2024
He unbuckled the straps on his backpack to make it easier to wriggle out, just in case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
He unbuckled his seat belt and we both bolted from the smoking, flaming Kia, looking over our shoulders, movie-star style, to see the inevitable fireball we narrowly escaped.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 20, 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
Dolorous Edd helped him to his feet and unbuckled his helm.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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
A recent YouTube series, “Best Shape of My Life,” that ostensibly targeted his non-superhero dad bod was really about unbuckling his own strictures of behavior.
From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 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.
