unmoor

verb

un·moor | \ ˌən-ˈmu̇r

How to pronounce unmoor (audio)

\

unmoored; unmooring; unmoors

Definition of unmoor

transitive verb

: to loosen from or as if from moorings

intransitive verb

: to cast off moorings

Examples of unmoor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As an artist, Sam Winston was often on the lookout for topsy-turvy projects – weird, sidelong ways to unmoor familiar habits or nudge his work in new directions. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "What Happens When You Go Offline," 20 May 2020 USA TODAY Princess Cruises had a health problem long before back-to-back outbreaks of the new coronavirus on the Diamond and Grand Princess ships unmoored the entire cruise industry. — USA TODAY, "Diamond Princess, Grand Princess cruise line had high rates of illness even before coronavirus," 20 Mar. 2020 Muñoz is like a lot of people these days: unmoored by the COVID-19 pandemic, grappling for a lifeline and finding one in the familiar conversational rhythms of an old-fashioned phone call. — Richard A. Marini, ExpressNews.com, "The phone call makes a comeback in the time of coronavirus with volumes doubling typical Mother’s Day traffic," 4 May 2020 Branson said many of these hacks are impractical, dangerous, and unmoored from basic principles of physics and physiology. — Lindsay Beyerstein, The New Republic, "The Staggeringly Complicated Ethics of Ventilating Coronavirus Patients," 10 Apr. 2020 Months later, unmoored and in need of care, Smith drifted to VA in search of help. — Alex Horton, BostonGlobe.com, "VA unlawfully turned away vulnerable veterans for decades, study says, with 400,000 more at risk," 5 Mar. 2020 Together, these two interstellar objects are rewriting what researchers know about the icy bodies—estimated to number as many as 1026—that float unmoored throughout the Milky Way. — Alexandra Witze, Scientific American, "Two Interstellar Intruders Are Upending Astronomy," 27 Nov. 2019 Especially onscreen: Overachiever Ted Kramer is seen unmoored by the simple task of making French toast for his son. — Jim Mckairnes, USA TODAY, "How 'Kramer vs. Kramer' hit a national nerve, 40 years before 'Marriage Story'," 20 Dec. 2019 The granting of Indian independence—both overdue and, in execution, hasty—left him stunned and unmoored, and caused a fundamental rethinking of his views. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "From Little Englanders to Brexiteers," 11 Nov. 2019

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

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Cite this Entry

“Unmoor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmoor. Accessed 26 Feb. 2021.

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