unsubscribe

American  

[uhn-suhb-skrahyb] / ˌʌn səbˈskraɪb /

verb (used without object)

unsubscribed, unsubscribing

1. to cancel a subscription to or remove a name from an online mailing list, publication, or service.

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verb (used with object)

unsubscribed, unsubscribing

1. to remove (a subscriber) from an online mailing list, publication, etc.

unsubscribe British  

/ ˌʌnsəbˈskraɪb /

verb

1. (intr) to cancel a subscription, for example to an emailing service

   you can unsubscribe at the following URL

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Etymology

Origin of unsubscribe

First recorded in 1980–85; un- ² ( def. ) + subscribe ( def. )

Explanation

When you cancel an agreement to receive a magazine, newsletter, or streaming service, you unsubscribe. If a political group sends an overwhelming number of emails every week, you should probably unsubscribe. To subscribe is to sign up for something, from the Latin root subscribere, "sign or write underneath." When you add the prefix un-, "not," you get unsubscribe. If you ever realize you regret subscribing to something, whether it's the local newspaper you never have time to read, or an expensive cake-of-the-month club, you can always decide to unsubscribe!

Example Sentences

People looking to save money can subscribe to some of these services monthly, and then unsubscribe during months when no games are on that platform — instead of paying for a full-year subscription.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

And bring your bills, your credit-card statements, your school forms, the streaming services you need to unsubscribe from, the airline miles you need to manage, the expenses app you need to figure out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

Companies have been accused of signing people up for subscriptions without their consent, renewing their subscriptions without notice, and imposing a gantlet of obstacles to anyone seeking to unsubscribe.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2024

In fact, I had to go figure out how to unsubscribe because when they first came out, you could only do it through iOS.

From Slate • Aug. 6, 2023

The computer will ask you if you're sure you want to "unsubscribe."

From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation