as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
authorities eventually unfettered the menagerie of wild animals that had been kept illegally as pets
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Recent Examples of unfetter
As spring ends, maple trees begin to unfetter winged seeds that flutter and swirl from branches to land gently on the ground.
—
Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2021
His long run in office, however, delivered only partial victories on his two primary ambitions: to unfetter Japan’s military after decades of postwar pacifism and to jump-start and overhaul its economy through a program known as Abenomics.
—New York Times, 8 July 2022
The Safdies are pointedly effective in capturing the way in which a chaotic city’s overall rhythm goes on unfettered even as a character experiences a horrific disruption or glitch in one small part of it.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, the company hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 29 July 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2021
His long run in office, however, delivered only partial victories on his two primary ambitions: to unfetter Japan’s military after decades of postwar pacifism and to jump-start and overhaul its economy through a program known as Abenomics.
—New York Times, 8 July 2022
The Safdies are pointedly effective in capturing the way in which a chaotic city’s overall rhythm goes on unfettered even as a character experiences a horrific disruption or glitch in one small part of it.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, the company hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 29 July 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfetter
Verb
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Using his electric superpower, Fester causes an explosion that frees the L.O.I.S. subjects from their cells.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
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Fester zaps the whole place, shutting off the power and freeing all the Outcasts from their cages.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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How did One Piece season 1 end? Season 1 of Netflix's One Piece adaptation ended with Luffy and the Straw Hat gang liberating Nami's hometown of Coco Village from Arlong (McKinley Belcher III), the spiky-nosed fish-man with hopes of turning the village into a fish-men empire.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
11 Aug. 2025
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Shaked, who was liberated from the Matthausen camp, was referring to the condition of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, young men abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, from the Nova music festival in southern Israel.—
Philissa Cramer,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Blockbusters are released in five or six languages at once.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Speaking with the Free Press in 2021, when a remastered version of the video was released, Reeves recalled the group’s early morning shoot at the assembly plant, now known as the Rouge complex.—
Brian McCollum,
Freep.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The victim was later pronounced dead at a hospital after she was rescued from the bin Authorities are seeking the public's help with information about the incident Authorities are investigating the death of a woman whose head was stuck in a donation box in Lodi, Calif.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Two people were rescued after a small plane crash-landed in the Everglades in Broward County Tuesday morning, officials say.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Sabrina Carpenter is loosening her leash on Man’s Best Friend ahead of its release date, with the pop star playing the album for a group of lucky fans who got to hear it before the rest of the world at an exclusive event on Wednesday (Aug. 13).—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
15 Aug. 2025
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When leaders embrace acceptance, the ego loosens its grip.—
Wilson Luna,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Creators could become emancipated from their platofrms, and communities develop not just social but real currencies.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers informed enslaved people in Texas — the last state to enforce slavery — that they’d been emancipated.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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