1
as in loosening
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
unleashed all of his unspoken love for her in a long letter that he hoped he would have the courage to mail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in releasing
to find emotional release for
lifting weights is a way for me to unleash all the frustrations of the workday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of unleashing
Since then, the icon hasn’t stopped unleashing her inner diva, continuing to grace the stage with her signature curls and bold eyes.
—
Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
The sun's powerful magnetic dynamo that drives sunspot activity and contributes to unleashing powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections has been confirmed as existing 124,000 miles (200,000 kilometers) beneath the sun's visible surface — equivalent to 16 Earth widths' deep.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2026
The getaway spirals into terror when Katie (Charli xcx) becomes possessed by a violent, tortured spirit (Mizuhara), unleashing a nightmare steeped in Japanese horror tradition.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Iran retaliated Wednesday by unleashing missile strikes against Israel, where two people were killed near Tel Aviv.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Iran retaliated by unleashing missile strikes against Israel.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Regardless of the format, Hartline leaves room for unpredictability by unleashing his company’s cast like the Head of Marketing Department or the Department of Grappling Education (DOGE).
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Edwards toyed with whatever unfortunate Golden State guard had the misfortune of trying to stop him, unleashing fadeaway after fadeaway from the midpost en route to 20 first-half points.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Stray Kids last dropped music in November, unleashing EP Do It and debuting atop the Billboard 200.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
The sun's powerful magnetic dynamo that drives sunspot activity and contributes to unleashing powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections has been confirmed as existing 124,000 miles (200,000 kilometers) beneath the sun's visible surface — equivalent to 16 Earth widths' deep.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2026
The getaway spirals into terror when Katie (Charli xcx) becomes possessed by a violent, tortured spirit (Mizuhara), unleashing a nightmare steeped in Japanese horror tradition.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Iran retaliated Wednesday by unleashing missile strikes against Israel, where two people were killed near Tel Aviv.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
Iran retaliated by unleashing missile strikes against Israel.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Regardless of the format, Hartline leaves room for unpredictability by unleashing his company’s cast like the Head of Marketing Department or the Department of Grappling Education (DOGE).
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Edwards toyed with whatever unfortunate Golden State guard had the misfortune of trying to stop him, unleashing fadeaway after fadeaway from the midpost en route to 20 first-half points.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Stray Kids last dropped music in November, unleashing EP Do It and debuting atop the Billboard 200.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unleashing
Verb
-
That’s when something tightened, a brief, instinctual clam-closing and then loosening again just as fast.—
Dawn Lerman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Lawmakers will debate bills related to loosening gun regulations at colleges in at least eight states this year, including Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But for weeks, Campbell’s office has cited a range of exemptions in state law as justification for not releasing records about the grand jury’s activities to news outlets, including the Herald/Times.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of releasing emissions into the atmosphere, the plant captures biogenic CO2 produced during waste processing.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For Simmonds, the key to unlocking the character came from her choreographer, who pulled her aside during training and told her to stop following the other dancers.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
On the field, though, Waddle can be the key to unlocking the two-high-safety seal that opposing defenses often threw at Denver in 2025.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unleashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unleashing. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
