unplug
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to become unplugged.
-
to refrain from using digital or electronic devices for a period of time.
It's a great place to relax and unplug.
verb
-
to disconnect (an electrical appliance) by taking the plug out of the socket
-
to remove a plug or obstruction from
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
unplugsimple
-
unplugssimple
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have unpluggedperfect
-
has unpluggedperfect
-
am unpluggingprogressive
-
are unpluggingprogressive
-
is unpluggingprogressive
-
have been unpluggingperfect progressive
-
has been unpluggingperfect progressive
Past
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unpluggedsimple
-
had unpluggedperfect
-
was unpluggingprogressive
-
were unpluggingprogressive
-
had been unpluggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unplug
Vocabulary lists containing unplug
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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:
“These people, when I unplug them ... they’re all going to Seattle where the mayor will welcome them,” Pratt told Haskell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
"We always deploy models and systems in environments where we can unplug them," he added.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
The simplest solution, naturally, would be to unplug altogether, ditching your smart TV for an old-fashioned antenna system and turning back to physical media players instead of streamers.
From Slate ● May 3, 2026
I rediscovered both the enchantment and the danger this Christmas when I was forced to unplug my life during days of power outages in Boulder, Colo., where I had gone to stay with family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
I unplug my phone from the charger and find that I have zero messages from Bo.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
But are there consequences if everyone unplugs from the system?
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2022
Day 5: Pete Best stops by, unplugs toilet.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2021
Ed Begley Jr. unplugs all of the appliances in George's kitchen, announcing, "I'm a real environmentalist; you say you are, but these incandescent bulbs in this giant-sized margarita machine tell a different story."
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2016
At one point, someone unplugs a hard drive.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2015
She gets me out of bed, straps me into my chair, unplugs the Medi-Talker from the charger, and hooks me up.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
She claimed she was off work and home alone—that she had unplugged her phone and gone to bed.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
A liquefaction train, which cools the gas, is like a giant refrigerator, but unlike an unplugged fridge at home, restoring it could take weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
The lawsuit aims to force the operators to address dangers posed by the unplugged wells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
In 2020, economist Paul Milgrom unplugged the phone when the Nobel committee called - in the middle of the night - to tell him he had won the Nobel for economics.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
The men cursed, and shook their fingers at the television and pounded the radio, until Aunt Zo unplugged them.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Abandoning a cult is relatively easy compared to unplugging from a hive; although deprogramming can be an arduous process, a hive mind hollows out everything but our skins.
From Salon ● Dec. 29, 2025
Our quarterly earnings aren’t showing any great unplugging.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2025
Drivers troubleshoot by repeatedly unplugging the connector, trying different payment methods or moving to a different charger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
A video showing a local police officer unplugging Sheeran's microphone on Bengaluru's Church Street - a crowded shopping and entertainment area - has since gone viral.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2025
At first I suspected the operator, at her switchboard, might be listening, but she just went on plugging and unplugging her little tubes without batting an eye.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions 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.
