UNLOCK Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

unlock

verb

ˌən-ˈläk

Definition of unlock

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

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 unlock If the current trials succeed, the technique could unlock more sustainable fuel cycles. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026 The plane rapidly lost altitude before Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing passengers and other crew members to enter and overpower al Hammami. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026 Despite being wounded, pilot Captain Smit Machchhar managed to unlock the cockpit door and signal his distress to passengers and crew, who bravely rushed into the cockpit to regain control of the aircraft. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026 Now the door was unlocked, but Shawn did not move to open it. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unlock

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlock

Verb

Advertisement As protests intensified, state media unleashed a frenzied smear campaign, casting Egyptian protesters as foreign agents and outside agitators.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
That single choice unleashes a harrowing chain of strange and terrifying events in the dead of night, turning a simple gesture of kindness into a real-life nightmare.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of unleash

Verb

This beautiful retrospective volume shows a poet developing steadily, from the graceful descriptions and encoded trauma of the poems from the 1990s through the loosening music and political engagement of the books of the last ten years.

— Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
The pullout, however, leaves a new Iraqi government with the daunting task of loosening Iran’s grip on its neighbor, which has long been trapped in a cycle of sectarianism, foreign meddling and civil conflict.

— Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of loosen

Verb

Mogwai, who would make their debut the year after Beat was released and with whom Bowery Electric would share a bill, would crouch in similarly unassuming and tense postures and use them to spring out and scare the bejeezus out of people.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Never Enough, released in June 2025, is Turnstile’s fourth album and the follow-up to their 2021 breakthrough Glow On.

— Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of release

Browse Nearby Words

unloads

unlock

unlocked

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Style

“Unlock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlock. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unlock

verb

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