unmoor

American  

[uhn-moor] / ʌnˈmʊər /

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.

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verb (used without object)

1. (of a vessel) to become unmoored.

unmoor British  

/ -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

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Etymology

Origin of unmoor

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

Example Sentences

“This guy is not mad, he’s very intentional, but he’s unmoored and he’s unhinged,” Newsom said.

From The Wall Street Journal

In my mid-twenties, during my first week at a new remote job, I felt both giddy and strangely unmoored — delighted to have shed my commute, unsettled by the sudden absence of physical colleagues.

From Salon

She may feel unmoored, and believe he was her one true supporter.

From MarketWatch

To critics, the Fed’s latest moves highlight the risks of data dependence, or a flexible, judgment-based approach that they say can leave the central bank unmoored when data are scarce or unclear.

From Barron's

That cozy view never prompted the sick, panicky feeling of being unmoored from the earth that the phrase “touch the clouds” had stirred up in her.

From Literature