unscrew

[ uhn-skroo ]

See synonyms for unscrew on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to draw or loosen a screw from (a hinge, bracket, etc.).
to unfasten or withdraw by turning, as a screw or lid.

to open (a jar, bottle, etc.) by turning the lid or cover.

verb (used without object)

to permit of being unscrewed.

Origin of unscrew

First recorded in 1595–1605; un-² + screw

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unscrew in a sentence

Virag unscrews his head in a trice and holds it under his arm.
Ulysses | James Joyce
The die then unscrews, and, in doing so, pushes the turret back.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II | Joshua Rose
One of these—made out of an old file—is robed in a cloth case; another unscrews in the centre, so as to be more readily carried.
The Strand Magazine, Vol. VII, Issue 39, March 1894 | Various
It comes in pieces; the barrel unscrews in the middle, and you can carry it in the hare-pocket of a shooting jacket.'
The Fortunes of Hector O'Halloran, And His Man Mark Antony O'Toole | W. H. Maxwell
Train fore and aft, face of mortar forward, throw circle out of gear; 1st Captain stops vent; 2d Captain unscrews spirit-level.
Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. | Bureau of Ordnance, USN

British Dictionary definitions for unscrew

unscrew

/ (ʌnˈskruː) /

verb

(tr) to draw or remove a screw from (an object)
(tr) to loosen (a screw, lid, etc) by rotating continuously, usually in an anticlockwise direction

(intr) (esp of an engaged threaded part) to become loosened or separated: the lid wouldn't unscrew

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

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