unloose

[uhn-loos]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unloose ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), un·loosed, un·loos·ing.

to loosen or relax (the grasp, hold, fingers, etc.).

to let loose or set free; free from restraint.

to undo or untie (a fastening, knot, etc.); unfasten.

Origin of unloose

1325–75; Middle English unloosen; see un-², loose

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

Related Words for unloose

unblock, unloosen, unbind, slip, unwrap, loose, loosen, free, disengage, unbutton, unlock, unclasp, untie, disentangle, release, unravel, unfasten, unclose, unfix, unstop

Examples from the Web for unloose

Historical Examples of unloose

After the captain left him, he struggled hard to unloose the cords which bound him.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
I have a large, hundred-ounce poke of dust, and I unloose the thong.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
Shirley would untie the knots or cut the rope or get someone to unloose her.
Rosemary
Josephine Lawrence
Some of them had it tied up behind like women, and now proceeded to unloose it.
The Bertrams
Anthony Trollope
I made a feeble attempt to unloose her hands and draw myself up.
A Pessimist
Robert Timsol

British Dictionary definitions for unloose

unloose

unloosen

verb (tr)

to set free; release

to loosen or relax (a hold, grip, etc)

to unfasten or untie

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

Word Origin and History for unloose

late 14c., "to set free," from un- (2), used here emphatically, + loose. Related: Unloosed; unloosing.