unlock

[ uhn-lok ]

/ ʌnˈlɒk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unlock ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to undo the lock of (a door, chest, etc.), especially with a key.

to open or release by or as if by undoing a lock.

to open (anything firmly closed or joined): to unlock the jaws.

to lay open; disclose: to unlock the secrets of one's heart.

verb (used without object)

to become unlocked.

Nearby words

unlit, unlive, unlively, unload, unloanable, unlock, unlocked, unlooked, unlooked-for, unloose, unloosen

Origin of unlock

1350–1400; Middle English unloken; see un-², lock¹

Related forms

un·lock·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unlock

Green-Wood has its own catacombs, which grounds keepers will unlock for tour groups.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With my back turned, he entered the combination to unlock the door, which was fortified by more than a foot of reinforced steel.
Writing a Novel: Even Making It Up Requires Research|Ridley Pearson|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Best recalls a grieving father confiding that a visit let him unlock the emotional door trapping his family in grief.
David Best Creates a Temple Made of Memories Outside San Francisco|Debra A. Klein|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But there was never an easy way for the company to unlock that value, or for investors to understand precisely how much Yahoo!
Yahoo! Poised to Cash In on Initial Public Offering of China E-Commerce Giant Alibaba|William O’Connor|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Did you know it is now illegal to unlock a cell phone that you have purchased from your wireless carrier?
It's Your Phone, Why Can't You Unlock It?|Ilana Glazer|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If no one is here, the hermit at S. Stefano Rotondo will unlock it.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare
How can he unlock the vaults of mathematics without algebra, their only key?
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, December 1882|The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific Circle
Reetal bent to unlock the entrance door to the indicated suite.
Lion Loose|James H. Schmitz
It took me, perhaps, thirty or forty seconds to get the key out of my pocket and unlock the door.
Peter Ruff and the Double Four|E. Phillips Oppenheim
It can give you the golden key, and show you where the chest is to be found, and then you must unlock it for yourselves.
Fairy Tales; Their Origin and Meaning|John Thackray Bunce

British Dictionary definitions for unlock

unlock

/ (ʌnˈlɒk) /

verb

(tr) to unfasten (a lock, door, etc)

(tr) to open, release, or let loose

(tr) to disclose or provide the key tounlock a puzzle

(intr) to become unlocked

Derived Forms

unlockable, adjective

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

unlock

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of unlock

Related forms

Examples from the Web for unlock

British Dictionary definitions for unlock

unlock

verb

Derived Forms