unbuckle

verb

un·​buck·​le ˌən-ˈbə-kəl How to pronounce unbuckle (audio)
unbuckled; unbuckling

transitive verb

: to loose the buckle of : unfasten

intransitive verb

1
: to loosen buckles
2
: relax

Examples of unbuckle in a Sentence

She unbuckled her seat belt.
Recent Examples on the Web The South American player, 37, doffed his shirt and unbuckled his pants to play through the 13th hole after his ball landed on the muddy shore of a pond at the DP World Tour’s Soudal Open in Schilde, Belgium on Friday, May 24. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 24 May 2024 There were so many delightful moments, but just being able to unbuckle and float around and look back at our beautiful earth was pretty damn good. Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Apr. 2024 The man unbuckled his seat belt and opened his door. Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 Experts said the incident could have been far worse if passengers had been seated next to that section or if the incident occurred later in the flight when people typically unbuckle their seat belts. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2024 This occurred after Collins continued to unbuckle his seatbelt and stand up on the flight. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 1 Feb. 2024 Reinstall them in spacious state rooms, and the allegorical intentions about which the curators’ captions inform me—how, for instance, a putto unbuckling Mars’s armor in the Dulwich painting slyly chides the hawks who were driving forward the Thirty Years’ War—might just fall into place. Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 26 Dec. 2023 San Diego State built a defensive pedigree for so long — popping pads and unbuckling chin straps so often — that the NCAA statistics seem to be misprints. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023 Seide opens the driver side door, as well, and appears to begin unbuckling Cobb’s seat belt with both hands. Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unbuckle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of unbuckle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near unbuckle

Cite this Entry

“Unbuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unbuckle. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

unbuckle

verb
un·​buck·​le ˌən-ˈbək-əl How to pronounce unbuckle (audio)
: to unfasten the buckle of (as a belt)

More from Merriam-Webster on unbuckle

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