unlock
Americanverb (used with object)
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unlocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unlocked,
past participle, past
-
unlocking
present participle
-
to undo the lock of (a door, chest, etc.), especially with a key.
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to open or release by or as if by undoing a lock.
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to open (anything firmly closed or joined).
to unlock the jaws.
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to lay open; disclose.
to unlock the secrets of one's heart.
verb (used without object)
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unlocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unlocked,
past participle, past
-
unlocking
present participle
verb
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(tr) to unfasten (a lock, door, etc)
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(tr) to open, release, or let loose
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(tr) to disclose or provide the key to
unlock a puzzle
-
(intr) to become unlocked
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unlocksimple
-
unlockssimple
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have unlockedperfect
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has unlockedperfect
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am unlockingprogressive
-
are unlockingprogressive
-
is unlockingprogressive
-
have been unlockingperfect progressive
-
has been unlockingperfect progressive
Past
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unlockedsimple
-
had unlockedperfect
-
was unlockingprogressive
-
were unlockingprogressive
-
had been unlockingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unlock
Explanation
When you unlock something, you turn a key or use a code in order to open it. You have to unlock your locker before you can get the books you need for English class. You might unlock your front door by turning a bolt or unlock a hotel room door by sliding a card into a reader. Either way, something was secured with a lock and now you've opened it. This verb is also used for smart phones: "Once you unlock the screen, you can see that photo I sent." Unlock is formed by adding the prefix un-, "reverse," to lock, "fasten or secure."
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:
Still, higher mortgage rates make it harder to unlock home equity by downsizing and moving to a place more amenable to retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
When you go see a band often enough, you know where to look and when to watch, and then the trick is to unlock the next level.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Brilliant pass to unlock the Czech Republic for England's second.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The lengthy wings could unlock a new style of defense for the Lakers, who remade their team to support Doncic with three-and-D wings and a rim-running center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
We get off on my floor, and I unlock the door to home.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
This keeps an aging workforce mobile, slashes employer spend and unlocks abundance through the convergence of health and wealth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The stock’s biggest test may still be ahead as a wave of share unlocks are to begin.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It unlocks banking transactions, insurance and transportation and does away with the complex networks that Iran has previously used to sell crude.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Private marks remain elevated, and Roper Technologies will continue to lean into share repurchases over platform acquisitions; however, management wants to leave enough dry powder for when the market for mergers-and-acquisitions unlocks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Mr. Reuben unlocks the chains on his restaurant.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
A huge cheer erupted as a senior teacher unlocked the hulking front door and poked her head out into the street.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
An unlocked access gate linked the yard around villas to a bamboo forest, making it possible for the prisoners to enter and exit at will.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
That question unlocked a gusher of government money that he hadn’t known existed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Vertical drama apps use a coin-earning system that rewards users with unlocked clips when they stay on the app longer.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026
I walk the whole way to my house and head to the back, where I left the sliding door unlocked, wondering whether I even deserve to make a check mark for today.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Alexander said the city's plan was a "massive boost" to the West Midlands, unlocking investment and "creating 50,000 well-paid local jobs to get people into employment".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
A small group of scientists hope the key to unlocking its long-term survival is buried in the sand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
“The successful deployment of Starship will establish the most affordable and scalable path to unlocking the economic potential of space,” Citi wrote in an earlier note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Instead of simply sinking human players with a single answer, AI is now helping them navigate the board by continuously unlocking secrets of the ancient game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The ka-klick of the unlocking door to the big storage room in the community center.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
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.
