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Synonyms

unhook

American  
[uhn-hook] / ʌnˈhʊk /

verb (used with object)

  • unhooks,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • unhooked,
    past participle,  past
  • unhooking
    present participle
  1. to detach by or as if by releasing a hook.

    to unhook a tractor from a trailer.

  2. to unfasten or open by undoing a hook or hooks.

    to unhook a door; to unhook a corset.


verb (used without object)

  • unhooks,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • unhooked,
    past participle,  past
  • unhooking
    present participle
  1. to become unhooked.

unhook British  
/ ʌnˈhʊk /

verb

  1. (tr) to remove (something) from a hook

  2. (tr) to unfasten the hook of (a dress, etc)

  3. (intr) to become unfastened or be capable of unfastening

    the dress wouldn't unhook

"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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of unhook

First recorded in 1605–15; un- 2 + hook 1

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:

You have to come to a meeting spot at the border, unhook all your trucks and trailers, bring in another truck to bring it in to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 2, 2024

While trains and trucks also transport EVs, isolating and extinguishing fires is easier as workers can unhook a rail car and a trucker can pull over, said Frazee.

From Reuters Jul. 27, 2023

In Thomson’s view, a pregnant individual’s right to bodily autonomy permits them to unhook from the violinist, so to speak, no matter anyone else’s view of what is noble or moral or humane.

From Washington Post Oct. 3, 2022

When doctors said it was time, they signed the necessary paperwork allowing the staff to unhook him from the machines.

From Seattle Times Jun. 14, 2019

I unhook the water bottle from my bike’s frame and aim the nozzle at him.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

He reels in the baitfish, unhooks it, rehooks it with the shark hook, and tosses the bobber, leader, and bait back out, before handing the shark rod to me.

From Slate Sep. 1, 2022

Mallory Sarver unhooks one, loosens the drawstring, reaches in and pulls out a tiny bird with a gray head, a brilliant yellow belly with black streaks and white stripes on its black wings.

From Washington Times May 26, 2018

He reels in both lines, unhooks the fish and transfers it to his son’s rig.

From The New Yorker Jun. 19, 2016

The flap is connected with a unique clip that unhooks with a downward squeeze.

From Time May 10, 2016

He unhooks a heavy ring of keys from his belt loop, shaking his head.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Getting unhooked from the era of easy money could bring some headaches along the way.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 2, 2026

Once he’d parked the buggy, he unhooked the black box from its compartment, tucking this precious cargo underneath his arm.

From Slate Sep. 30, 2023

Before the start of a news conference on Wednesday, officials unhooked their masks in quick succession, a staged gesture that deviated from past Covid-19 protocols.

From New York Times Dec. 1, 2022

Hawkins said the incident ended peacefully after some four hours as the Iranians unhooked the tow line to the drone and left the area as the American forces were nearby.

From Washington Times Aug. 30, 2022

I unhooked the hose from the gas pump, and holding the nozzle in one hand and the knob in the other, I was ready to turn it.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

It can be physical work — it takes multiple people, for example, to turn a patient without unhooking any equipment.

From New York Times Feb. 15, 2022

He argues that endangering the subsidy would be "like unhooking a patient from intensive care".

From BBC Jun. 13, 2021

It’s simply about unhooking your brain from the harmful routines it has adopted around this particular device, and hooking it to better things.

From New York Times Feb. 23, 2019

“I caught some snow all the way from Ohio,” he said, while unhooking a Kia SUV from the trailer bed.

From Washington Post Mar. 21, 2018

The major was unhooking the forceps now, dropping them in a basin.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

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