unlock
UK /ʌnˈlɒk/ · US /ʌnˈlɑk/ verb, noun
Forms unlocks unlocking unlocked
- verb (transitive) To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination. “I unlocked the door and walked in.”
- verb (transitive) To obtain access to something; to meet the requirements of a security or protection system. “I unlocked the dictionary article so I could edit it.”
- verb (transitive, mobile telephony) To configure (a mobile phone) so that it is not bound to any particular carrier.
- verb (transitive) To disclose or reveal previously unknown knowledge or potential. “The discovery of a clue unlocked the mystery.”
- verb (intransitive) To be or become unfastened or unrestrained.
- verb (transitive, figurative) To make available.
- verb (transitive) To undermine something that has control over a situation; to find a way to counter or oppose.
- noun The act of unlocking something.
- noun (video games) An initially hidden feature that is made available to reward the player for some achievement.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English unloken, unlouken, onlouken, from Old English onlūcan (“to unlock”), equivalent to un- + lock. Cognate with Dutch ontluiken (“to unlock”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To unfasten, as what is locked; as, to unlock a door or a chest.
- verb To open, in general; to lay open; to undo.
Etymology [Cf. AS. unl. See 1st Un-, and Lock, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “unlock”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details