unstring

[ uhn-string ]

See synonyms for: unstring unstrung on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·strung, un·string·ing.

to deprive of strings: to unstring a violin.
to take from a string: to unstring beads.

to loosen the strings of: to unstring a bow.
to relax the tension of.
to relax unduly, or weaken (the nerves).
to weaken the nerves of.

Origin of unstring

First recorded in 1605–15; un-² + string

Words Nearby unstring

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

How to use unstring in a sentence

unstring thy strong bows for the sake of our liberal lords, O bounteous Rudra, be gracious to our kith and kin.
Sacred Books of the East | Various
After using it unstring it, and at a large shooting-party unloose your bow after every round.
The Art of Entertaining | M. E. W. Sherwood
The similar fevers and exasperations of factory life lead the workers to unstring their tense nerves with liquor.
The Art Of The Moving Picture | Vachel Lindsay
We meet only an embarrassment of choice when we start to unstring the chaplet of our carking cares.
The Simple Life | Charles Wagner
There are wicked philosophers abroad who unstring the bow of harder toil by picking your inmost thoughts!
Curiosities of Civilization | Andrew Wynter

British Dictionary definitions for unstring

unstring

/ (ʌnˈstrɪŋ) /

verb-strings, -stringing or -strung (tr)

to remove the strings of
(of beads, pearls, etc) to remove or take from a string

to weaken or enfeeble emotionally (a person or his nerves)

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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