unhitch

verb

un·​hitch ˌən-ˈhich How to pronounce unhitch (audio)
unhitched; unhitching; unhitches

transitive verb

: to free from or as if from being hitched

Examples of unhitch in a Sentence

We unhitched the trailer from the car.
Recent Examples on the Web Sensors located around the flow also allow the vehicle to automatically hitch and unhitch itself. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2023 An emerging fleet of whisper-silent and emissions-free tractors promises to unhitch growers from the burdens of conventional farming, far beyond its reliance on fossil fuels. Naoki Nitta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2023 Lingle’s husband had just unhitched the cart from a truck used to haul it as Lingle got ready for business in the parking lot of Bob’s Paint Land on Northeast 99th Street. oregonlive, 10 Apr. 2023 These private conversations, taking place patiently and deliberately, unhitched from the rhythms of national ones, offered each side the chance to recognize the other’s humanity. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023 The cage is hauled to a remote claypan surrounded by scrubby desert, where the trailer is unhitched from its vehicle and the woman is left alone in the blinding sunlight, presumably to die. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2023 Outrider autonomous yard trucks hitch to and unhitch from trailers, connect and disconnect trailer brake lines using a robotic arm, backup semi-trailers with precision, interact safely with loading docks, and keep track of trailer locations throughout the yard. Richard Bishop, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023 And then in time, try to unhitch decision-making from getting upset or overinvested altogether … but, one step at a time. Washington Post, 20 June 2021 At the field, the ATV comes off the trailer, which gets unhitched from the truck and hitched to the ATV. Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 16 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unhitch.' 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

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhitch was in 1706

Dictionary Entries Near unhitch

Cite this Entry

“Unhitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhitch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unhitch

verb
un·​hitch ˌən-ˈhich How to pronounce unhitch (audio)
: to free from or as if from being hitched

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