unshackle

verb

un·​shack·​le ˌən-ˈsha-kəl How to pronounce unshackle (audio)
unshackled; unshackling; unshackles

transitive verb

: to free from shackles

Examples of unshackle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Lurking behind our unease is a fantasy of total, unshackled cognitive freedom. Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025 Getting it right, unshackling yourself from a loyalty to ideology. Charlotte Alter, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025 While these Democrats embrace their Republican colleagues, the cryptocurrency industry has been completely unshackled by the Trump administration. William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 At the prison, Van Tassel sat in the interview room and waited for Melissa to be unshackled and strip-searched. Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unshackle

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unshackle was in 1598

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Cite this Entry

“Unshackle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unshackle. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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