unmoor

[uhn-moor]

verb (used with object)

1. to loose (a vessel) from moorings or anchorage.

2. to bring to the state of riding with a single anchor after being moored by two or more.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a vessel) to become unmoored.

unmoor

/ -ˈmɔː, ʌnˈmʊə /

verb

1. to weigh the anchor or drop the mooring of (a vessel)

2. (tr) to reduce the mooring of (a vessel) to one anchor

Word History and Origins

Origin of unmoor¹

First recorded in 1490–1500, unmoor is from the Middle English word unmooren. See un- ², moor ²

Example Sentences

It’s a decision that was partly spiritual: when the world feels unmoored, it seemed perhaps worth remembering that our predecessors relied on the seasons as enveloping promises of change.

Read more on Salon

It was March 2020, and she and her husband had been trying for a second child, but suffered a miscarriage that had unmoored them.

Read more on Salon

America’s leadership has come unmoored from the values of equality and self-determination outlined in this country’s founding documents.

Read more on Salon

When I first learned of all this, naturally, I was unmoored.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The chatter has unmoored debate over a major rebuilding proposal from L.A.

Read more on Los Angeles Times