unlock
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
-
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)
-
unlocks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unlocked,
past participle, past
-
unlocking
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to unfasten (a lock, door, etc)
-
(tr) to open, release, or let loose
-
(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
-
unlocksimple
-
unlockssimple
-
have unlockedperfect
-
has unlockedperfect
-
am unlockingprogressive
-
are unlockingprogressive
-
is unlockingprogressive
-
have been unlockingperfect progressive
-
has been unlockingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
The group is demanding that the government declare a national emergency to unlock more resources to fight wildfires across the vast archipelago.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Last month, three OpenAI safety researchers were summoned to meetings with the company’s security team and asked to unlock their personal phones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
"This is a beautiful example of how elegant engineering can unlock real impact," said Prof. Richard Penty, who contributed to the photonic system design and integration.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Simply put, it’s a race between the potential profit unlock it promises and the massive debt it must pay down.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
When he got to his suite, he went to unlock the door, but it jerked open before the indicator light turned from red to green.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
“They are engaged in smaller projects, but we haven’t yet seen that combination of factors that unlocks larger projects,” McPhail said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
“It just unlocks all new types of interactive, immersive, cross-media experiences for consumers that really have been nearly impossible to pull off before.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
That doesn’t mean every SpaceX shareholder whose stock unlocks will sell.
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
Nana unlocks the door, and I go inside 1st.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
With the Garry Shandling documentary, very late in the process, we found a letter he wrote to his brother that really unlocked Garry’s feelings, about his brother and his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
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
Becerra finally unlocked the inner cholo so many of us have been waiting to see, instead of the Chicano Ned Flanders he’s been projecting for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 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 key must be in the Count’s room; I must watch should his door be unlocked, so that I may get it and escape.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Booth credited technological advances with unlocking most of the world’s new oil-and-gas resources since the turn of the century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham said unlocking Jackdaw would "protect hundreds of jobs and help keep millions of homes warm this winter".
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
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
Crisply he snapped his fingers at Officer David Delinko, who was unlocking his squad car.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
