unshackle
verb
un·shack·le
ˌən-ˈsha-kəl 
unshackled; unshackling; unshackles
: to free from shackles
Examples of unshackle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In doing so, the killer helped unshackle dark forces—chief among them anti-Semitism—that now threaten to overtake the conservative movement.
—
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
On Friday Mangione arrived at court unshackled in his tan prison garb.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
There have been stingy draws, a high-scoring draw and a couple of Elland Road hidings, but this was Daniel Farke’s Leeds unshackled, intoxicated, for good and bad, by the same icy Tyneside air which made Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United sides so iconic.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Both their hands were unshackled.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unshackle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
On Friday Mangione arrived at court unshackled in his tan prison garb.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
There have been stingy draws, a high-scoring draw and a couple of Elland Road hidings, but this was Daniel Farke’s Leeds unshackled, intoxicated, for good and bad, by the same icy Tyneside air which made Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United sides so iconic.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Both their hands were unshackled.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unshackle
Cite this Entry
“Unshackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unshackle. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
