Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

unrig

American  
[uhn-rig] / ʌnˈrɪg /

verb (used with object)

unrigged, unrigging
  1. to strip of rigging, as a ship.

  2. to strip of equipment.

  3. Chiefly British Dialect. to undress.


unrig British  
/ ʌnˈrɪɡ /

verb

  1. (tr) to strip (a vessel) of standing and running rigging

  2. archaic to undress (someone or oneself)

"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

Etymology

Origin of unrig

First recorded in 1570–80; un- 2 + rig


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:

They must form a unified coalition of people of all races, genders, sexualities and classes, and band together to unrig the system.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 2, 2020

“So the question is, how do we unrig this system?” says Lawrence, who clearly doesn’t just play a superhero on the big screen.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 27, 2019

This left the three males of the party free to tackle the more arduous duties of the day; and we forthwith proceeded to unrig the boat and make her ready for hoisting.

From Overdue The Story of a Missing Ship by W. Herbert Holloway

To dismantle a ship of her standing and running rigging.—To unrig the capstan is to take out the bars.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Sir Edward Belcher

But the sailing-wind came to nothing, and we were soon obliged to unrig and take to paddling.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Fridtjof Nansen

President Arturo Illia, a sometime physician, held an unrigged vote in the steaming, depressed northern province of Jujuy and was all but wiped off the slate.

From Time Magazine Archive

A new word game, carefully unrigged, begins under the guidance of Comedian Jan Murray.

From Time Magazine Archive

Get live baits, such as pilchards, herring or goggle-eyes before heading offshore, and keep a few fresh, unrigged ballyhoo in the cooler.

From Time Magazine Archive

Several three-deckers of 120 guns, some of them unrigged, and many men-of-war mounting from forty to sixty cannons, lie in the harbour. 

From A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy by H. W. (Henry William) Dulcken

On that voyage, he helped the ships that were unmasted and unrigged, both going and coming.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 22 of 55 1625-29 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. by James Alexander Robertson

Emily Bazelon: You talk about breaking up corporate power as a way of unrigging the economy, making people feel a sense of ownership.

From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026

Nor are taxes the only instrument available for unrigging markets to make them more competitive and equitable.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2019

“I’m obsessed with this idea — not just of unrigging it but actually fixing it.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 27, 2019

Notwithstanding the state of the ice, however, we did not remain idle on the 8th, all hands being employed in unrigging the Fury, and landing all her spars, sails, booms, boats, and other top-weight.

From Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage by Henry Morley

Notwithstanding the state of the ice, however, we did not remain idle on the 8th, all hands being employed in unrigging the Fury, and landing all her spars, sails, booms, boats, and other top weight.

From Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 2 by Sir William Edward Parry

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com