unlock

verb un·lock \ ˌən-ˈläk \

Definition of unlock

transitive verb

1 :to unfasten the lock of

2 :open, undo

3 :to free from restraints or restrictions

the shock unlocked a flood of tears

4 :to furnish a key to :disclose

intransitive verb

:to become unfastened or freed from restraints

See unlock defined for English-language learners

See unlock defined for kids

Examples of unlock in a Sentence

Could you unlock the door for me?
geneticists unlocking the secrets of DNA
The material's potential was unlocked only through extensive testing.
How can I unlock my computer if I've forgotten the password?
This class will unlock your creativity.

Recent Examples of unlock from the Web

Keys had been left inside the vehicle, and the doors were unlocked.

— Washington Post, "Loudoun County crime report," 30 Aug. 2017
Two remote keyless transmitters (fobs) can be programmed with driver’s seat and mirror memory for two drivers to position the seat and mirrors when the door is unlocked using the fob.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "New GMC Acadia Denali version gives this SUV the royal treatment," 25 Aug. 2017
Other new features include facial recognition for unlocking the device, along with the ability to charge it with magnetic induction, the people said.

— brian x. chen, New York Times, "Dear iPhone: Here’s Why We’re Still Together After 10 Years," 23 Aug. 2017
With a few attachments, Arduinos can be used to create all kinds of electronic devices that interact with the physical world, from the useful, like finger scanners that unlock garage doors, to the silly, like motion-detecting squirt guns.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "How Blind Astronomers Will Observe the Solar Eclipse," 5 Aug. 2017
From January through April this year, 773 cars were stolen in Nashville because drivers left keys in them or the doors unlocked.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Keep your car doors locked: Vehicle thefts, break-ins spike in Birmingham, elsewhere," 19 July 2017
Wells and Bryant both said the four were going up and down through Lake Cyrus pulling on door handles to see which cars were unlocked or had anything of value inside.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Teen acquitted in murder of Hoover man gets probation for car break-ins," 18 July 2017
The Australian bill that would allow courts to order tech companies to quickly unlock communications will be introduced to Parliament by November, officials said.

— Bloomberg.com, "Australia Plans Law to Force Facebook, Google to Decrypt Messages," 14 July 2017
Customers paid a small deposit to unlock a code in the umbrella handle, but most have not been returned to their stands after use.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unlock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.