unleashed; unleashing; unleashes
1
: to free from or as if from a leash : let loose
unleash the dogs
unleashing his anger
2
: to throw, shoot, or set in motion forcefully
unleashed a superb shot … to earn his side a point—
The New York Times
The New York Times
Synonyms
Examples of unleash in a Sentence
The storm unleashed its fury.
The editorial unleashed a torrent of angry responses.
Recent Examples on the Web
After a nice punt return by Jack Christensen, Schneider unleashed a 51-yard strike to Ty Olsen for a score.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2023
The West needs to be mindful of global tactics that Putin could unleash, such as cyberattacks on a scale never before seen, fomenting violence in the Balkans, or cutting Internet cables and energy pipelines in Europe’s seas.
—Bob Seely, Foreign Affairs, 24 Nov. 2023
During the latest episode of The Kardashians, North unleashed her sartorial opinions on her mom.
—Genevieve Cepeda, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
The announcement, which includes a condition for OpenAI to reconfigure its board of directors, comes just days after Altman's unexplained exit thrust the company into disarray, unleashed an employee revolt, and elicited a public apology from one of the board members who ousted him.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2023
Finally, the northern ice sheets unleashed one last spurt of meltwater, before the planet tilted back into a cooling phase and the Last Interglacial came to an end.
—Frank Hulley-Jones, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Don't miss the chance to explore Miami's vibrant culinary scene, where chefs from all over the world unleash their passion and creativity.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
Ahead of the book’s release, Molesworth and I spoke about art and identity, how losing her museum job unleashed her writing, and the ice-cold waters of Cape Cod as a metaphor for vulnerability.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
Everything becomes more intense, the car lowers with its air suspension for a lower center of gravity, the engine unleashes a deeper growl from its active exhaust and throttle inputs are more responsive and sharper.
—Kyle Edward, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
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John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2023
The West needs to be mindful of global tactics that Putin could unleash, such as cyberattacks on a scale never before seen, fomenting violence in the Balkans, or cutting Internet cables and energy pipelines in Europe’s seas.
—Bob Seely, Foreign Affairs, 24 Nov. 2023
During the latest episode of The Kardashians, North unleashed her sartorial opinions on her mom.
—Genevieve Cepeda, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
The announcement, which includes a condition for OpenAI to reconfigure its board of directors, comes just days after Altman's unexplained exit thrust the company into disarray, unleashed an employee revolt, and elicited a public apology from one of the board members who ousted him.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2023
Finally, the northern ice sheets unleashed one last spurt of meltwater, before the planet tilted back into a cooling phase and the Last Interglacial came to an end.
—Frank Hulley-Jones, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Don't miss the chance to explore Miami's vibrant culinary scene, where chefs from all over the world unleash their passion and creativity.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
Ahead of the book’s release, Molesworth and I spoke about art and identity, how losing her museum job unleashed her writing, and the ice-cold waters of Cape Cod as a metaphor for vulnerability.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 15 Nov. 2023
Everything becomes more intense, the car lowers with its air suspension for a lower center of gravity, the engine unleashes a deeper growl from its active exhaust and throttle inputs are more responsive and sharper.
—Kyle Edward, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unleash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near unleash
Cite this Entry
“Unleash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unleash. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
unleash
verb
un·leash
ˌən-ˈlēsh 
: to free from or as if from a leash
unleash a dog
the storm unleashed its fury
More from Merriam-Webster on unleash
Nglish: Translation of unleash for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of unleash for Arabic Speakers
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