unplug

[ uhn-pluhg ]

verb (used with object)

, un·plugged, un·plug·ging.

1. to remove a plug or stopper from.
2. to free of an obstruction; unclog:

   a pill to unplug clogged arteries.

3. to disconnect (an appliance, a telephone, etc.) by removing its plug from an outlet:

   to unplug a toaster.

4. to remove (an electric plug with its cord) from an outlet.

verb (used without object)

, un·plugged, un·plug·ging.

1. to become unplugged.
2. to refrain from using digital or electronic devices for a period of time:

   It's a great place to relax and unplug.

unplug

/ ʌnˈplʌɡ /

verb

1. to disconnect (an electrical appliance) by taking the plug out of the socket
2. to remove a plug or obstruction from

Other Words From

• un·plugga·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of unplug¹

First recorded in 1765–75; un- ² + plug

Example Sentences

It includes further features we had suggested, such as making it easier to unplug before bed and limit notifications.

From MIT Technology Review

Sometimes that means unplugging completely and tramping in the woods, like the weekend I spent camping along Devil’s Path in the Catskills last month.

From Fortune

Heather, waging her own battle with covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, said goodbye to her younger sister on a live stream, tears running down her face as she watched doctors unplug the machine that had helped her sister breathe.

From Washington Post

You went straight to your room, unplugged your phone from the charger.

From MIT Technology Review

According to their legal complaint, Drumwright had permission to use a generator for his PA system, and he approached a deputy to ask why the generator was being unplugged.

From ProPublica

No cars, no medicine, no microwaves, no phones—just unplug from everything science has given you and leave the rest of us alone.

From The Daily Beast

But to say we need to unplug … stopping progress is a bad, bad, bad idea.

From The Daily Beast

He rarely suggests that we develop the fortitude to unplug our brains from the news-generated matrix that subsumes us.

From The Daily Beast

One obvious (and healthy) way to unplug is to go exercise—ideally doing something that requires you use both hands.

From The Daily Beast

“I never unplug,” says Edith Zimmerman, editor of The Hairpin.

From The Daily Beast

His partner moved quickly and efficiently around the bed, eventually figuring out how to unplug the horn.

From Project Gutenberg

To unplug a lamp you should grasp (cord) (plug) firmly and pull.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• draw
• open
• penetrate
• pump
• utilize