UNLOCKING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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 Financial future Of course, unlocking the club’s financial potential is largely contingent on getting promoted. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026 One other thing to get used to is simply unlocking the phone. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026 However, their claims of revolutionizing teaching and learning, of unlocking the potential of education, and of transforming the institution of school suggest otherwise. — Kamau Bobb october 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026 The Iran war is also unlocking public and private money for nuclear and geothermal energy. — Dr. Sarah Kapnick, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026 As China undergoes a prolonged market reset, luxury players are closing unproductive stores, exploring untapped regional markets and unlocking differentiated crowds with pop-up formats. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026 Lower-cost Alpha resins join specialized options such as Tough 1500, and Open Material Mode requires no unlocking fees and provides the freedom to experiment beyond Formlabs’ resin offerings. — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026 Most notably, some leading Chinese thinkers believe robotics could be the key to unlocking artificial general intelligence—systems capable of performing as well as or better than humans across most tasks. — Scott Singer, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026 Son’s rising star power then proved vital in unlocking financing. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unlocking

Verb

Written and directed by Jeremy Slater, the film follows Jefferson Haddock (Bacon), who is called into an isolated witness protection property to deal with a terrifying demon, unleashing a force that threatens to end him and everything around him.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
In a statement, spokesperson Kollin Crompton said GOP governors and candidates remain focused on lowering taxes, unleashing American energy and keeping communities safe.

— Kevin Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of unleashing

Verb

Colom’s campaign told the Washington Examiner that the Democratic nominee had no part in commissioning, funding, conducting, or releasing the Wedgewood survey and that the campaign only referenced it as a public poll.

— Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
Democrats used the tools available to force votes that GOP leadership tried to avoid — on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files and halting the Iran war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of releasing

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unlocked

unlocking

unlocks

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“Unlocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unlocking. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unlocking

verb

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