unleash
Americanverb (used with object)
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to release from or as if from a leash; set loose to pursue or run at will.
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to abandon control of.
to unleash his fury.
verb
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to release from or as if from a leash
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to free from restraint or control
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unleashsimple
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unleashessimple
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have unleashedperfect
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has unleashedperfect
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am unleashingprogressive
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are unleashingprogressive
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is unleashingprogressive
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have been unleashingperfect progressive
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has been unleashingperfect progressive
Past
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unleashedsimple
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had unleashedperfect
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was unleashingprogressive
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were unleashingprogressive
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had been unleashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unleash
Explanation
When you remove your dog's leash so she can run wildly across the beach, you unleash her — you set her loose. And when you unleash a storm of insults against your brother, you allow them to flow freely from your lips. There are two ways to use the verb unleash. Literally, it means "set loose," like when a police officer unleashes her trained dog to sniff luggage for illegal drugs, or a farmer unleashes her llama after moving it into a pen. Figuratively, you can unleash all kinds of emotions, forces, opinions, and actions. Unhappy citizens might unleash a series of high-profile protests, or a barrage of shouted demands, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing unleash
myPerspectives 8.4
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Across So Many Seas
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Vocabulary from Readings 5, Unit 2
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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.
Although relatively small compared to the asteroid linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs, it was still large enough to unleash extraordinary destruction.
From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026
Google is seeking federal approval to unleash millions of bacteria-infected, non-biting mosquitoes in the Golden State.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
"Overall, this was an impressive event that did not disappoint as Cook and Apple finally unveiled an AI strategy that will unleash the true monetization opportunity for AI," said Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son said his Tokyo-based tech conglomerate would unleash at least $52 billion of investment in French data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Hila had never even let him touch the thing, convinced that even with it just sitting in his palm, he’d somehow manage to unleash an army of the undead on Manhattan or something.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
