unlocking

verb

present participle of unlock
as in unleashing
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 unlocking Obesity drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have been pushing to boost employer coverage, which is key to unlocking greater uptake for their treatments. — Hugh Son,annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026 Still, unlocking the doors may give a thief the access needed to try another method. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 Everything the product must do to succeed as the product—unlocking, managing users, seeing who came and went—would be free for as long as the customer owned it. — Ali Aydan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Securing dual citizenship can open up a wide variety of travel possibilities, including unlocking new visa-free destinations and the potential to live and work abroad with ease. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026 That same pivot underpins a wider incubator-style model, from the BFC Mini MBA and business resilience programs to experiments in unlocking subsidized studio space via the patron network. — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 29 July 2026 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said his government will on Tuesday declare a civil protection emergency for the central provinces plagued by the wildfires, unlocking additional recovery funding. — Janis Laizans, USA Today, 27 July 2026 Those achievements will give SpaceX the capability to begin launching operational Starlink V3 satellites, unlocking higher-speed direct-to-device connectivity for consumers and the US military, and the revenue to go along with it. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 July 2026 The sheer variety of blues coming out of Switzerland has exploded in recent years, with advancements in dial manufacturing unlocking even more shades. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlocking
  1. unleashing
  2. loosening
  3. releasing
Verb
  • That typhoon crossed the country after causing destruction in southeastern Fujian province, unleashing record-breaking rainfall in Beijing.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The White House also couldn’t resist prodding Swift when the singer married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, unleashing a series of memes on the day of the wedding in July.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of unleashing
Verb
  • Even before this summer’s heat, the EU had begun loosening a number of its emissions targets and delaying the phaseout of gas and diesel vehicles, in an apparent effort to blunt the far right’s use of green policies as a campaign issue.
    — Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The commemoration unfolded as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pushes to expand Japan’s offensive military capabilities, raising questions about loosening postwar nonnuclear principles.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of loosening
Verb
  • Orbit was a member of the electronic music trio Torch Song in the early 1980s, releasing three albums on the IRS label before moving into music production, including creating the soundtrack for the 1986 hockey film Youngblood.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The office will confirm identifications and ensure proper paperwork is filed before releasing the remains back to family.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of releasing

Browse Nearby Words

unlocked
unlocking
unlocks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unlocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlocking. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on unlocking

Nglish: Translation of unlocking for Spanish Speakers

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