Synonyms

unbuckle

American

[uhn-buhk-uhl] / ʌnˈbʌk əl /

verb (used without object)

to unfasten the buckle or buckles of.

verb (used without object)

to undo a buckle.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

unbuckle unbuckles unbuckled unbuckling

We had to unbuckle the icebox from the bracket to access the clean-out port.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Mr Nelson said he was able to unbuckle himself push himself to the ground.

From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2025

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

Lindsy Doan couldn’t open Kyle’s door and told him to unbuckle and come to her seat and leave his stuff behind.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2023

As a matter of fact, by the time I put the car in park, unbuckle my seat belt, and reach to shut off the ignition, she’s opening the passenger door and climbing in.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

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

She pulls the body over and unbuckles him from the harness.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

With relief tingling at his fingertips, Scoob grabs the thing and unbuckles his seat belt.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

But transportation officials say the midair blowout could have been calamitous if it had happened a little later in the flight, when the plane was at cruising altitude with passengers unbuckled and walking around.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2024

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

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

When Toby unbuckled his seat belt, and tried to move, she yelped.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

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

Noodles jumped, now afraid of me, and started gingerly unbuckling Needles's belt.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023