unshackle

verb

un·​shack·​le ˌən-ˈsha-kəl How to pronounce unshackle (audio)
unshackled; unshackling; unshackles

transitive verb

: to free from shackles

Examples of unshackle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Reams of rules govern how the best French cheeses are made, but hotter, drier summers may unshackle struggling producers. Catherine Porter, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023 Those who unshackle themselves from the burdens of driving will have a lot more of it. Doug Gordon, The New Republic, 19 Apr. 2023 But in pop culture, there’s something unexpectedly liberating, even progressive, about seeing gay characters unshackled from the necessity of making a good impression. Mark Harris, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 After manufacturing costs for renewables dropped within competitive range of fossil fuels in 2009, their appeal quickly became apparent: Because the costs were fixed — just investment and upkeep — the country could unshackle its energy sector from commodities. Noah Gallagher Shannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2022 Development agencies should be unshackled from political constraints, because donors cannot keep Afghanistan on life support indefinitely. Graeme Smith, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2022 Investigators were checking security video to determine how his hands were unshackled, Woo said. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 11 July 2023 Promoted as a society unshackled from earthly laws, this town is in fact as unfree as possible. Matthew R. Francis, Scientific American, 26 June 2023 The new Evan has been filled with the old Evan’s memories by his wife Faye (Jordana Brewster); and he has been unshackled from government regulations by the hacker Casey (Simu Liu), much to the chagrin of a grizzled technology cop named Kessler (Sam Worthington). Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unshackle.' 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

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unshackle was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near unshackle

Cite this Entry

“Unshackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unshackle. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

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