unleash

American  

[uhn-leesh] / ʌnˈliʃ /

verb (used with object)

• unleashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• unleashed,
  past participle,  past
• unleashing
  present participle

1. to release from or as if from a leash; set loose to pursue or run at will.

2. to abandon control of.

   to unleash his fury.

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unleash British  

/ ʌnˈliːʃ /

verb

1. to release from or as if from a leash

2. to free from restraint or control

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• unleashing
  present
• unleashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• unleash
  simple
• unleashes
  simple
• have unleashed
  perfect
• has unleashed
  perfect
• am unleashing
  progressive
• are unleashing
  progressive
• is unleashing
  progressive
• have been unleashing
  perfect progressive
• has been unleashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• unleashed
  simple
• had unleashed
  perfect
• was unleashing
  progressive
• were unleashing
  progressive
• had been unleashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will unleash
  simple
• will have unleashed
  perfect
• will be unleashing
  progressive
• will have been unleashing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of unleash

First recorded in 1665–75; un- ² + leash

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unleash unleashes unleashed unleashing

Another asset is the company’s Data 360 platform, which helps companies unleash the value of their data and use it to help build AI.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

That could be a tactical shift for an American president who, until recently, was threatening to unleash the most devastating strikes since World War II against Iran.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Refn: We were both naive idealists and we both had an enormous amount of emotions within us that we were trying to find places to unleash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Surveying the present geopolitical landscape, Mr. Simms considers the “self-restraint” of Japan, which chooses to husband rather than unleash its incredible technological and economic resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The important thing is to unleash your Inner Stickler, while at the same time not getting punched on the nose, or arrested for damage to private property.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

“The Beloved’s” actual director, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, unleashes his leads to become a tag team of destruction, each blaming the other for what’s going wrong on set.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

We watch on the monitors as Bruccoleri perfectly mimes the piano along to a track and unleashes out-of-tune vocals that are horribly dour.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Their metaphorical duet in this exhibit unleashes a full-body rush.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

When he unleashes the Klaebo stride, his opponents know they’re about to get trampled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

It unleashes a roar like a frenzied car horn and jabs one of its axe-handle arms at me.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

But Zhu's brand of market reformism, which lifted millions out of poverty but unleashed inequality, fell out of vogue with the ascent of Xi Jinping in 2012.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

As with other cases reported in recent weeks by OpenAI and Anthropic, the AI model was tuned to be capable of hacking and then inadvertently unleashed onto unsuspecting victims during benchmark testing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Leading the charge is the Defense Department, which unleashed a spree of deals securing equity in future gallium producer Atlantic Alumina and Canadian mining company Trilogy Metals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Cosmo itched so much from allergies that he constantly scratched himself raw and unleashed a howl when we were gone for too long, so loud and haunting that my neighbor thought it was a siren.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

She didn’t ask one question, let alone the hundreds that Jessica would have unleashed.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2025 aimed at "unleashing" these seabed resources, stressing the demand in everything from renewable energy to military applications.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Sun is constantly spewing out matter and charged particles, sometimes unleashing full-blown solar storms that shoot out giant explosions of plasma and other matter.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Massive new outboard motors are unleashing unprecedented horsepower for owners who want bigger, faster vessels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The arrow hurdled forward, unleashing an audible woosh followed by a distant thwack.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

A pair of guardsmen opened the heavy red doors before him, unleashing a sudden blast of noise and light.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin