Synonyms

unclog

American

[uhn-klog, -klawg] / ʌnˈklɒg, -ˈklɔg /

verb (used with object)

unclogged, unclogging

to free of an obstruction or impediment.

to unclog a drain; to unclog rush-hour traffic.

verb (used without object)

unclogged, unclogging

to become unclogged.

I can't wash the dishes until the drain unclogs.

unclog British

/ ʌnˈklɒɡ /

verb

(tr) to remove an obstruction from (a drain, 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

Other Word Forms

unclogger noun

Etymology

Origin of unclog

First recorded in 1600–10; un- ² + clog

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.

But years passed without the dramatic reforms needed to reshape and unclog the legal pathways to U.S. citizenship.

From Los Angeles Times

"How ignorant could she be? Did she think that Africans shop from rocks? She needs to travel more and unclog her sadly colonized view of the world. Yikes," raged one user on X.

From BBC

What’s more, many unclogged wells leak methane, a planet-warming gas that is more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

From Los Angeles Times

These boosts are meant to unclog the express toll lanes by deterring some users, and to pay for a small portion of freeway widenings.

From Seattle Times

While I can’t come to your home to unclog your pipes, I can offer you help with your plumbing dilemmas online.

From Seattle Times

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