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
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
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
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
New York Times, 8 July 2022
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
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfetter
Verb
-
Lightning looms as winds threaten to push the tower over, but somehow the rescue team frees him from the wreckage to safety.—
Bryan West,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The organization, which relies almost entirely on donations and volunteer fosters, is also calling attention to the overcrowding at local shelters and encourages people to adopt or foster animals to free up space, so more animals like Xiao Mao can get help.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Do recall that last week’s successful maneuver to liberate themselves from lockdown was a true group effort, with Lamb subtly engaging a room full of his people to turn the tables on their Park captors.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Detouring into satire would give that notion some pause and would give my writing some wings, liberating me from self-consciousness and untethering me from reality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to reports, the 49ers are releasing Marquez Valdes-Scantling with an injury settlement.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, large crowds of demonstrators gathered on Saturday, urging the government to pressure Hamas to release the bodies.—
Ibrahim Dahman,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In May 2024, our officers helped rescue a bull that had escaped.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Aurora, the husky, had to be rescued by local animal control after chasing a squirrel up a tree in her Indiana backyard and getting stuck on a branch up in the air.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The movement mirrors a human stretch meant to loosen the upper body.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
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Always give the fabric a good shake outdoors to loosen and release excess dirt and dust before placing microfiber cloths in the machine.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is well over a dozen years before Black people are declared emancipated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
-
In the Revolutionary War itself, Britain’s Lord Dunmore had emancipated large numbers of southern slaves as a war measure—a fact well-known in both the 1770s and the 1860s.—
Akhil Reed Amar,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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