as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
activists for animal rights who would like to unchain zoo animals and return them to the wild
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Recent Examples of unchain
When Henson refused to unchain herself from the fence, California Highway Patrol arrested her.
—
Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Max eventually unchains himself and helps Furiosa in her quest to free the cult leader's wives, gaining mutual respect along the way.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 July 2024
Van Gogh had unchained it from its age-old funereal associations and reinvented it as a tour de force of emotional connection and nurturance.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023
The Shambala Center would unchain our brains Through mindfulness, yoga, and chanted refrains.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023
On Wednesday, the rescuers carefully lifted the shed enough to reach Bubbles and unchain the dog.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 3 Sep. 2021
The feds give an official exemption to Nuro, a company working on small self-driving cars—a sign that regulators are willing to unchain autonomous vehicles from the old rules.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired, 9 Feb. 2020
Police say the three protesters had the ability to unchain themselves from the equipment but refused.
—USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2019
This most recent stretch includes half of his six big league homers, moments in which Naylor’s unchained enthusiasm for the game has teammates tripping over themselves to get out of his way.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2019
Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Max eventually unchains himself and helps Furiosa in her quest to free the cult leader's wives, gaining mutual respect along the way.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 July 2024
Van Gogh had unchained it from its age-old funereal associations and reinvented it as a tour de force of emotional connection and nurturance.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 11 May 2023
The Shambala Center would unchain our brains Through mindfulness, yoga, and chanted refrains.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023
On Wednesday, the rescuers carefully lifted the shed enough to reach Bubbles and unchain the dog.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 3 Sep. 2021
The feds give an official exemption to Nuro, a company working on small self-driving cars—a sign that regulators are willing to unchain autonomous vehicles from the old rules.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired, 9 Feb. 2020
Police say the three protesters had the ability to unchain themselves from the equipment but refused.
—USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2019
This most recent stretch includes half of his six big league homers, moments in which Naylor’s unchained enthusiasm for the game has teammates tripping over themselves to get out of his way.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unchain
Verb
-
Short of the savings being placed in a much bigger coffee can, government spending cuts born of efficiency, headcount reduction, mandate reduction, or all three would have just freed up money for Congress to spend in new ways.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
-
Philip Andrew Douglass, 42, was freed on bond after an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
Their freedom came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln liberated slaves in the Confederacy by signing the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
-
Despite the temperamental British weather (gray skies and gooseflesh are a seasonal hazard) most of the 40 or 50 bodies at this summer celebration are duly liberated.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Blanchard was released from prison in December 2023, after serving eight years of her 10-year sentence, and her parole ended on June 24, 2025.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
27 June 2025
-
For every container of fireworks arriving at a U.S. port, importers must pay the tariff upfront, before customs even thinks about releasing the goods.—
Richard Howells,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
For one prospective graduate student, an admission to Harvard’s Graduate School of Education had rescued her educational dreams.—
Sara Braun,
Fortune,
21 June 2025
-
The people rescued have included families, veterans and college students.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Artificial implants naturally wear out or loosen with time and activity.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
27 June 2025
-
The challenges were steep enough that Georgia has decided to loosen its work verification protocols from monthly to once a year.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
This kept their traditions alive until their ancestors were emancipated in the 1860s.—
Ben Abrams,
NPR,
19 June 2025
-
Urging Lincoln to now issue an executive order for emancipating the slaves, Sumner was firmly rebuffed.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
Sabalenka, one of the favorites to lift the Wimbledon title this year, had saved four match points in a tiebreak to escape 2022 champion Elena Rybakina the previous day, one of them coming via a fortunate net cord.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
-
Goodson, the homeowner in Maine, was able to save big money with his engineering background and penchant for DIY.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unchain. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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