as in to unleash
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
that last insult unlocked her tongue, and she finally said what she really thought
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unlock
The late architect envisioned projections on Disney Hall, a chamber music venue, jazz club and better pedestrian connections to unlock the area’s potential.
—
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Amazon cut the price from $649 unlocked to $159 and ultimately canceled the phone after 14 months, taking a $170 million charge for unsold inventory.
—Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Sunway Group previously said the spin-off will help unlock shareholder value and improve the business’s access to capital markets.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Charging documents allege that O'Malley and another officer approached the car, commanding King to show his hands, shut off the car, and unlock the doors.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlock
Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Amazon cut the price from $649 unlocked to $159 and ultimately canceled the phone after 14 months, taking a $170 million charge for unsold inventory.
—Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Sunway Group previously said the spin-off will help unlock shareholder value and improve the business’s access to capital markets.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Charging documents allege that O'Malley and another officer approached the car, commanding King to show his hands, shut off the car, and unlock the doors.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unlock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlock
Verb
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But as the region teeters on the brink of a new and dangerous escalation, yet more negative consequences – like the evils that escaped Pandora’s box – could soon be unleashed.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
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But Cursor has a problem, and that problem is called Claude Code, a competitor launched by Anthropic barely a year ago that helped unleash a revolution in coding via agentic AI.—
Matthew Heimer,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Yet the air campaign, costing billions of dollars, has not forced Iran to capitulate and loosen its grip on the strait.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
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Researchers studying sinus physiology have long observed that gentle vibration can help loosen mucus and encourage natural drainage.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He was released on bail late Friday night, according to The Associated Press.—
Melissa Gaffney,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Aaron spent long hours at his computer answering queries, fixing bugs, and releasing updates to serve his growing base.—
Oriana van Praag,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlock. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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