unleashes

verb

present tense third-person singular of unleash
1
as in loosens
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 releases
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 unleashes The Troop follows a troop of boys who, while on their annual scout camping trip, encounter an intruder who unleashes something far more terrifying than any campfire ghost story. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 And Denise, rather than retreating from the action, unleashes a piercing battle cry and plunges into the mayhem head on. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 The cell unleashes a string of attacks across London as part of a destabilization campaign. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026 Only the collision between Manette, Darnay and Carton unleashes a complex love triangle as both men fight for her love and Manette struggles over whom to choose. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 The drone matches him from side to side, then dives into the side of the vehicle and unleashes a fiery blast. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026 With the franchise’s trademark blend of extreme gore and dark humor, the Evil Dead backstory centers on the ancient Book of the Dead that unleashes supernatural evil forces and twists victims into sadistic, shape-shifting, near-invincible monsters. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 21 July 2026 Carmy unleashes his many feelings. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 26 June 2026 When the black hole feeds on gas, the object unleashes particles in the form of wind or jets that move at nearly the speed of light, traveling up to thousands of light-years into space. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unleashes
  1. loosens
  2. releases
  3. unlocks
  4. expresses
  5. uncorks
Verb
  • Blonde loosens the plot, leaning into the unreliability of memory and the false truths that occupy the gaps between love and certainty.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In Antonioni’s film, after a woman disappears during a boating vacation, her partner and her best friend travel around looking for her, while the bond between them tightens and their grip on the threads of certainty loosens.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of loosens
Verb
  • And then of course the jacuzzi, which releases tension and relaxes the muscles.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
  • How GLP-1s affect more than weight GLP-1 is a gut hormone the body naturally releases after eating.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of releases
Verb
  • For Anthropic, the deal unlocks additional future processing power ahead of the company’s planned IPO.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • For Kickstarter stretch goals, reaching $50,000 with 250 backers unlocks one additional filter for all backers, while $100,000 with 500 backers unlocks three.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of unlocks
Verb
  • Linney’s Guardian tries to draw out some resentment from her new candidate, but John expresses (or feigns) sympathy for Hal, who was betrayed by his father figure Sinestro, an experience John likens to his own complicated upbringing.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Psalm 23, Biblical poem in the book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible that expresses trust and confidence in God and his care.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of expresses
Verb
  • Director Mike Hodges uncorks him as a criminal with a good — albeit violent — heart, who is capable of true masculine terror.
    — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
  • Jackson uncorks a deep pass to Dawn, but the attempt is a little too long.
    — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
Definition of uncorks

Browse Nearby Words

unleashed
unleashes
unleashing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unleashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unleashes. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All