unbutton

[ uhn-buht-n ]

/ ʌnˈbʌt n /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unbutton ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to free (buttons) from buttonholes; unfasten or undo.

to unfasten by or as if by unbuttoning: to unbutton a jacket.

to disclose (one's feelings, thoughts, etc.) after deliberate or prolonged silence.

verb (used without object)

to unfasten a button or one's buttons.

RELATED WORDS

loose, open, undo

Nearby words

unbuild, unbundle, unbundled, unbundling, unburden, unbutton, unbuttoned, unc, uncage, uncaged, uncal

Origin of unbutton

First recorded in 1275–1325, unbutton is from the Middle English word unbotenen. See un-², button

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unbutton

Raise: Unbutton the flap of the holster with the right hand and grasp the stock, back of the hand outward.
Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army|War Department.
Perhaps he'll unbutton after a bottle or two of champagne, or at any rate a third.
Modeste Mignon|Honore de Balzac
Then he commenced to pant, to feel suffocated, and he had to unbutton his shirt-collar and his belt.
The works of Guy de Maupassant, Vol. 5 (of 8)|Guy de Maupassant 1850-1893
His only reaction to this was to step forward and continue to unbutton her blouse.
Ten From Infinity|Paul W. Fairman

It will be cold to unbutton, but if I only know that it's getting near morning I shall at any rate feel more cheerful.
Master and Man|Leo Tolstoy

British Dictionary definitions for unbutton

unbutton

/ (ʌnˈbʌtən) /

verb

to undo by unfastening (the buttons) of (a garment)

informal to release or relax (oneself, tension, etc)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012