unstuck

American  

[uhn-stuhk] / ʌnˈstʌk /

adjective

1. freed or loosened from being fastened or stuck.

   When firmly pushed, the door became unstuck.

2. out of order, control, or coherence; undone.

   Their well-laid plans came unstuck under pressure.

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unstuck British  

/ ʌnˈstʌk /

adjective

1. freed from being stuck, glued, fastened, etc

2. to suffer failure or disaster

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unstuck Idioms  

1. see under come apart at the seams.

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Etymology

Origin of unstuck

un- ¹ + stuck

Example Sentences

The pace at which the U.S. and Israel can get the Strait of Hormuz unstuck will determine just how long these problems last.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

United had come unstuck once again - but this was business as usual for Chelsea.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

But many family-run businesses come unstuck because they focus on short-term moneymaking, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Over the last couple of years, the long-term political parallels between the U.S. and the United Kingdom seem to have come unstuck.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

The photographs skip back and forth in years, and the family marches across the kitchen table unstuck from time, beaming at me from their happiest moments.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse