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
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.
"Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace," he said.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Olympian Quincy Wilson from Bullis High in Maryland is ready to unleash his speed in two relay races and the 400 at Saturday’s Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
A new source of abundant clean energy could unleash new waves of innovation, while upending current geopolitical assumptions based on energy scarcity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Pope Leo XIV urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to "choose peace", in his first Easter blessing as pontiff.
From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026
My boys didn’t care to die, that’s all, and when I told them that you couldn’t unleash them dragons against the Yunkishmen, well...”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
