unlockv.
/(ˌ)ʌnˈlɒk/, U.S. /ˌənˈlɑk/ 1.
a. transitive. To undo or unfasten the lock on (a door, window, chest, etc.), typically by turning a key; to open (a door, etc.) by this means. Also with a room, building, etc., that has a door with a lock as object. Also in figurative contexts. Also occasionally intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > a door, gate, etc. > unlock, unbolt, etc.
undoc950
unloukOE
unsparc1175
unsteekc1250
unpinc1300
unshutc1315
loosec1400
unbarc1400
unlockc1400
open?a1425
unbolt1598
unlatchc1625
unpadlock1769
unsneck1785
undub1807
unslot1827
unsnib1905
snick1927
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. B.15.17) (1975) B. xii. l. 110 Which is þe cofre of cristes tresor, and clerkes kepe þe keyes To vnloken it at hir likyng.
?c1400 Who Redes in R. H. Robbins Secular Lyrics 14th & 15th Cent. (1952) 94 (MED) Hit [sc. Apocalypse] is as keye þat wil vnloken þo dore þat is ful faste stoken.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 23934 I cam after..and she gan vnlokke a chest.
a1500 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Chetham) l. 4119 I rede, that ye on-lok the yatis [emended in ed. to yate].
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 768/2 I unlocke a dore or cofer.
?1557 Deceyte Women sig. k.iiiv The marchaunt sayde to his wyfe vnlocke the barne.
1612 J. Donne Second Anniuersarie 15 in First Anniuersarie Yet Death must vsher, and vnlocke the doore.
1677 J. Phillips tr. J.-B. Tavernier Persian Trav. iv. ix. 169 in tr. J.-B. Tavernier Six Voy. (1678) He goes and unlocks a Window in the Wall on the Gospel side, and takes out the Chalice.
1754 W. Guthrie Friends II. 250 I..took the Keys.., and going down to the Court-yard, I try'd to unlock the Gate.
a1777 S. Foote Devil upon Two Sticks (1778) i. 9 Unlock, Mrs. Minx! your minion is discovered.
1792 W. Wordsworth Descr. Sketches 627 Mournful measures..Unlocking bleeding Thought's ‘memorial cell’.
1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II i. xviii. 17 The bard..Who to the awe-struck world unlock'd Elysium's gates.
1844 G. P. R. James Rose d'Albret iii. 15/1 With her own hands she drew back the bolt, and unlocked the door.
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre III. i. 22 I knelt down at, and unlocked a trunk.
1864 Manch. Guardian 23 Mar. 3/4 About eight o'clock in the morning I got up and went down stairs, and unlocked the back door, so that anyone who came might get in.
1904 Ann. Reg. 1903 i. 390 Mr. Chamberlain was the strong man who held the keys and could both lock and unlock.
1962 Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Leader 8 May 4/4 To insist they unlock the bathroom would be unthinkable.
1996 Guardian 3 Aug. 25/3 The weapons officer,..with a memorised combination, unlocks the safe.
2008 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 6 Apr. 8/1 German scientists claim to have cracked the code of the electronic blipper that locks and unlocks cars and garage doors.
b. transitive. To undo or open (a lock), typically with a key. Also figurative.
ΚΠ
?a1450 Metrical Life Christ (1977) 80 Þe baylies token þe keyes anon, And..Vnloked þe lokes.
1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius iii. f. 398v These keyes..vnlockyng the lockes, and vnloasing the obstacles of sinnes, they do lead..Sinners into heauen.
1636 T. Goodwin Childe of Light i. 121 The same key will unlock twenty locks that have the same wards.
1792 J. Rose Prisoner ii. i. 19 (stage direct.) She lifts up the padlock, and He unlocks it.
1866 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 15 June 525/2 For unlocking the lock the bit is inserted through a second keyhole into a radial slot.
1919 Manch. Guardian 18 Dec. 7/5 They had unlocked the padlock on the gate and two locks on the door.
1955 Clearing House 30 31/1 I went to the rear of the room, unlocked the lock of the wardrobe, and pulled open the door.
2005 T. Hall Salaam Brick Lane i. 16 Mr Ali..unlocked the last padlock securing the shutters.
c. transitive. figurative. To cause to open or become receptive; to allow to reveal what lies within. Also occasionally intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > liberation > set free [verb (transitive)] > free from restraint
ungyve1531
unlock1531
unbuckle1548
unpen1561
unmanacle1582
unmuzzlec1585
unseal1589
dischain1603
unshackle1611
to let out1613
uncage1620
unfreeze1637
loosen1645
unconfine1651
unsequester1664
unbay1687
uncurb1729
unbind1735
unleash1822
disenchain1853
1531 W. Tyndale Expos. Fyrste Epist. St. Jhon Prol. sig. A.iiij The doctryne..is the key that..lockyth and vnlockyth the conscience of..synners.
1637 J. Milton Comus 29 She can unlocke The clasping charme, and thaw the numming spell.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 214 The small Presents..unlock'd the man's breast, and drew out the whole secret.
1770 R. Glover Leonidas (ed. 5) I. iv. 158 Here the boy By an attention, which surpass'd his years, Unlocks her inmost bosom.
1774 P. Proctor tr. F. de S. de La Mothe-Fénelon Adventures Telemachus II. xvi. 92 Artful people could easily find the key to unlock his breast, and get possession of the most important secrets.
1822 Ld. Byron Werner i. i. 306 Wine he shall have; if that unlock him not, I shall not sleep.
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede III. v. xlv. 152 I know you have a key to unlock hearts.
1940 Contemp. Rev. July 579 St. Peter..unlocks the earth and lets the Spring out.
2000 A. Powers Weird like Us iii. 123 Cassandra liked the way drugs unlocked her mind.
d. transitive. To provide a key to (something obscure or difficult to decipher); to expound, explain, or interpret.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > explanation, exposition > expound, explain [verb (transitive)]
arecchec885
unloukOE
overrunOE
sutelec1000
trahtnec1000
unfolda1050
belayc1175
openc1175
onopena1200
accountc1300
undo?a1366
remenea1382
interpret1382
unwrap1387
exploitc1390
enlumine1393
declarec1400
expoundc1400
unplait?c1400
enperc1420
planea1425
clearc1440
exponec1440
to lay outc1440
to give (also carry) lightc1449
unwind1482
expose1483
reducea1500
manifest1530
explicate1531
explaina1535
unlock?1536
dilucidate1538
elucidate1538
illustrate1538
rechec1540
explicate1543
illucidate1545
enucleate1548
unsnarl1555
commonstrate1563
to lay forth1577
straighten1577
unbroid1577
untwist1577
decipherc1586
illuminate1586
enlighten1587
resolvec1592
cipher1594
eliquidate1596
to take (a person) with one1599
rivelc1600
ravel1604
unbowel1606
unmist1611
extricate1614
unbolta1616
untanglea1616
enode1623
unperplexa1631
perspicuate1634
explata1637
unravel1637
esclarea1639
clarify1642
unweave1642
detenebrate1646
dismystery1652
undecipher1654
unfork1654
unparadox1654
reflect1655
enodate1656
unmysterya1661
liquidatea1670
recognize1676
to clear upa1691
to throw sidelight on1726
to throw (also cast, shed) light on (also upon)1731
eclaircise1754
irradiate1864
unbraid1880
predigest1905
to get (something) straight1920
disambiguate1960
demystify1963
?1536 W. Tyndale Path Way Holy Script. sig. D.iv These thynges I say to knowe, is to haue al the scripture vnlocked & opened before the, so that if thou wylt go in & rede, thou cannest nat but vnderstande.
1636 K. Long tr. J. Barclay (ed. 2) (title) Argenis, or the Loves of Polyarchus and Argenis,..with a Key Præfixed to vnlock the whole Story.
1690 T. Burnet Theory of Earth iii. 21 Such a key as this.., that does so easily unlock this hard passage, and makes it intelligible.
1742 W. Law Some Animadversions in Appeal to All that Doubt 283 O my God, how shall I unlock this Mystery of Things; in the Land of Darkness, over-run with Superstition.
1799 N. Webster Brief Hist. Epidemic & Pestilential Dis. II. xiii. 37 Hippocrates led the way, unlocking the great doctrin of a constitution or state of the atmosphere, calculated to produce particular epidemic diseases.
1824 Encycl. Brit. Suppl. II. 145/2 It is the master key which unlocks every secret, and renders all the operations of the living animal body perfectly intelligible.
1879 S. C. Bartlett Egypt to Palestine iii. 51 To unlock and read a tongue of which..not even the nature of the language was known.
1917 Ladies' Home Jrnl. July 17/1 The thing that is ten times more valuable than any mere fact is the key to all secrets—the secret cipher that unlocks the code.
1970 Field & Stream Nov. 48/1 The Rosetta stone unlocked hieroglyphic characters making possible demotic deciphering of ancient Egyptian writing.
2001 J. Baggot Quantum Story i. iii. 30 His next breakthrough came in February 1913, when he was given a clue that would unlock the entire mystery.
2.
a. transitive. To free from restraint or captivity by undoing a lock; to let out (a prisoner, captive, etc.), to liberate.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > liberation > set free [verb (transitive)] > from confinement
unbindc950
to let freec1000
aletOE
to let out1154
loosea1225
slakec1374
loosen1382
to let goc1384
releasec1384
unloosec1400
unlockc1410
dissolvec1420
relievec1450
unloosen?a1475
to set at liberty1509
enlargea1513
to let at large1525
to let loose1530
to turn loose?1566
enfranchise1569
to turn up1573
enfranch1581
unkennel1589
unwind1596
to cast loosec1600
disimmure1611
disimprison1611
unhamper1620
to let abroad1633
unfold1633
disencloister1652
disencage1654
discagea1657
disincarcerate1665
eliminate1745
unspherea1806
unmew1818
unbottle1821
uncage1837
unbag1854
bust1921
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > liberation > set free [verb (transitive)] > from confinement > free by specific means
unlockc1410
unbrick1900
c1410 (c1350) Gamelyn (Harl. 7334) l. 417 He vnlokked Gamelyn boþe hand and feet.
1590 T. Lodge Rosalynde: Euphues Golden Legacie f. 22 Adam Spencer in the night arose secretely, and brought him such victualls as hee could prouide, and vnlockt him, and set him at libertie.
1662 H. Marten Familiar Lett. 76 Whereas all other prisoners are unlocked before 7 in the morning; he makes me stay till 8, 9, 10, and past.
1720 W. Musgrave tr. D. F. de Alcafarado Hist. Discov. Madera in W. R. Chetwood Voy. Capt. R. Falconer iii. 117 He that commanded the Slaves..took the Opportunity to unlock 'em all.
1759 Genuine Narr. Trial & Condemnation M. Edmondson 10/1 On the Sunday Morning when they unlocked the Prisoners, in the Women's Ward, she seemed somewhat affected.
1856 C. Reade Never Too Late to Mend I. xviii. 289 When they unlocked him in the morning they found him a corpse on the floor.
1875 D. Lewis Prohibition Failure 239 I unlocked his ankles and his wrist.
1909 ‘O. Henry’ Roads of Destiny x. 162 Unlock him at seven in the morning, and let him come to the bull-pen.
1992 Times 28 May 5/2 On some occasions staff had not unlocked inmates to attend education classes.
2003 R. L. Knight Crimson Flake 166 He unlocked her hands and put the short chain between her feet so she could walk.
b. transitive. figurative and in figurative contexts. To release or unleash; to free up, make available (esp. something previously inaccessible, unexploited, etc.). Also: to give or obtain access to; to bring to light; to reveal, uncover.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)]
unwryc825
unhelec1000
to draw forthc1175
unhillc1200
to bring forth?c1225
unsteekc1250
let witc1275
uncovera1300
wraya1300
knowc1300
barea1325
shrivec1374
unwrapc1374
again-covera1382
nakena1382
outc1390
tellc1390
disclosea1393
cough1393
unhidea1400
unclosec1400
unhaspc1400
bewrayc1405
reveal1409
accusea1413
reveil1424
unlocka1425
unrekec1425
disclude?1440
uncurec1440
utter1444
detect1447
break1463
expose1483
divinec1500
revelate1514
to bring (also put) to light1526
decipher1529
rake1547
rip1549
unshadow1550
to lay to sight1563
uppen1565
unlace1567
unvisor?1571
resign1572
uncloak1574
disshroud1577
spill1577
reap1578
unrip1579
scour1585
unharboura1586
unmask1586
uncase1587
descrya1591
unclasp?1592
unrive1592
discover1594
unburden1594
untomb1594
unhusk1596
dismask1598
to open upc1600
untruss1600
divulge1602
unshale1606
unbrace1607
unveil1609
rave1610
disveil1611
unface1611
unsecret1612
unvizard1620
to open up1624
uncurtain1628
unscreen1628
unbare1630
disenvelop1632
unclothe1632
to lay forth1633
unshroud1633
unmuffle1637
midwife1638
dissecret1640
unseal1640
unmantle1643
to fetch out1644
undisguise1655
disvelop1658
decorticate1660
clash1667
exert1692
disinter1711
to up with1715
unbundlea1739
develop1741
disembosom1745
to open out1814
to let out1833
unsack1846
uncrown1849
to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861
unfrock1866
disbosom1868
to blow the lid off1928
flush1950
surface1955
to take or pull the wraps off1964
a1425 Dialogue Reason & Adversity (Cambr.) (1968) 25 (MED) Fredam was ȝeuen to þe seruaunt of god to vnloke hid þouȝtes.
a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Harl. 4866) (1897) l. 1047 Sone, if oght in þin herte elles be loke, Vnlokke it blyue! com of; what seist þou?
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. B1v He the night before..Vnlockt the treasure of his happie state. View more context for this quotation
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice ii. ix. 51 Giue me a key for this, And instantly vnlocke my fortunes heere. View more context for this quotation
1670 G. Thompson Ἁιματιασις 134 Hereby ye will be able to unlock the fast inclosed sulphurs of Metals and Minerals.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 78 For thee my tuneful Accents will I raise,..Once more unlock for thee the sacred Spring. View more context for this quotation
1708 J. Philips Cyder ii. 60 When the kind early Dew Unlocks th' embosom'd Odors.
1765 R. Colvill On Winter-solstice 20 Thy nobler soul Unlocks the beauty of the whole.
1820 P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound iii. i. 99 Let hell unlock Its mounded oceans of tempestuous fire.
1884 Times (Weekly ed.) 19 Sept. 6/1 Capital, whether public or private, is so very hard to unlock.
1958 Newport (Rhode Island) Daily News 1 Mar. 4/1 It takes a perceptive teacher to unlock this potential.
1985 Times 19 Oct. 11/2 The most appropriate way to unlock the group's vast, hidden and largely ungeared wealth.
2006 Courier Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 21 June t 9 There is a good market for this product [sc. a turntable]..as a way of unlocking the pleasures that still lurk in our record-storage cabinets.
3. intransitive. Of a door, gate, chest, etc.: to open by means of a lock being unfastened or disengaged; to become unlocked. Also: to admit of being unlocked in this way. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > become open [verb (intransitive)] > of a door, gate, etc. > be unbolted, unbarred, etc.
unlocka1470
unbolt1470
unlatch1742
unbar1748
unsneck1948
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > loosening or unfastening > be loosened, unfastened, or undone [verb (intransitive)] > become unfastened in other specific way
unlocka1470
unpin1716
unscrew1822
unzip1936
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 792 Whan he cam to the chambir.., the doorys of iron unloked and unbolted.
1579 T. Singleton in J. Brooke tr. P. Viret Christian Disputations sig. A.vi A Chest of treasures hath vnlockt, whereoff thou maist take part.
1648 J. Quarles Fons Lachrymarum 114 How happy's he, that by a faithful knock Can make the yeelding Gates of Heav'n unlock?
1661 Eliana v. 213 About the middle of the night we heard our prison dore unlock, and by the torches they brought we saw Caligula, enter with his sword drawn.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. l. 291 I heard her lady's door..unbar, unbolt, unlock, and open.
1804 European Mag. 45 13/1 They had but just time to make this arrangement, when the door unlocked.
1868 Rep. Contigent Expenses of Senate 27 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 2nd Sess.: Senate Rep. 98) I It would not unlock on the old combination.
?1881 O. Harrison Comic Guide Isle of Man 34 Good gracious! what treasure! the casket unlocks.
1911 C. J. L. Clarke Boy's Bk. Mod. Marvels (1912) ii. 105 Doors unlock and swing open actuated by electricity set miles and miles away.
1943 Piqua (Ohio) Daily Call 4 June 8/4 (caption) The key fits! The trunk unlocks!
2008 Metro (Nexis) 2 June 10 I still have my Honda Accord with its door that doesn't unlock.
4.
a. transitive. To open, or cause to open, by physical action; to cause to separate or part.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)]
undoc893
untinec950
openOE
to-doOE
undita1225
leesea1325
unfolda1325
unspeara1325
unclosea1350
to open upa1400
disclose?1440
opea1450
unlock?1548
uncask1594
unhinge1624
unsluice1652
reserate1657
?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature sig. Avii Your mouth shall kysse my docke, Your tonge shall it vnlocke, But I saye what is your name?
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme li. 43 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 51 Vnlock my lipps, shut vp with sinnfull shame.
1636 A. Cowley tr. Verses on Virgin in Poeticall Blossomes (ed. 2) sig. F3 The breath gives sparing kisses, nor with powre Vnlocks the Virgin bosome of the flowre.
1694 W. Salmon Pharmacopœia Bateana i. vii. 269/1 That sulphurous Tincture is better able to unlock, or open the Bodies of the Ingredients.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry 56 [Clay-lands] hardning with the Sun and Wind, till they are unlocked by industry.
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals iv. ii Unlock your jaws, sirrah.
1802 J. Baillie Ethwald: Pt. Second ii. v, in Series Plays II. 284 A brawny ruffian, whose firm clenched gripe No struggles can unlock.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. x. 65 The discharge seemed to unlock the clouds above us.
1930 Poetry 35 253 With empty promises unlock her lips.
1991 DIY: Do it Yourself June 65/1 A release lever between the handles is flipped to unlock the jaws.
2008 N. Handel Newskids vii. 78 A look of panic flashed in his eyes and he gripped Max's shoulder... ‘Take it easy,’ said Max, gently unlocking his fingers.
b. transitive. To undo, free, or loosen, esp. by operating a mechanism or control for this purpose.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > loosening or unfastening > loosen, unfasten, or untie [verb (transitive)]
unbindc950
undoc950
unleeseOE
breaka1225
unfest?c1225
leesea1325
loosena1382
unloosea1382
loose1388
resolvea1398
unlace?c1400
unfastenc1440
unloosen?a1475
to let slip1526
unbrace?1526
diffibulatea1538
unframe1567
unclit1587
undight1590
unclip1598
unclenchc1600
unreeve1600
unlock1609
ungrapple1611
unquilt1611
abstringe1623
renode1623
unspan1648
unfast1684
disengage1780
undub1807
unclap1846
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida v. vi. 29 I like thy armor well, Ile frush it and vnlock the riuets all. View more context for this quotation
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 240 He must Vn-lock and Loosen the Form.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Detents, in a Clock, are those stops, which..lock and unlock the Clock in striking.
1757 W. Wilkie Epigoniad ii. 43 The hero..His mail unlock'd; and loos'd the golden chains.
1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 109 The sword is..unlocked by the thumb and forefinger.
1892 A. Oldfield Pract. Man. Typogr. viii. 68 Some compositors seem to drive up quoins as if they thought the form would never have to be unlocked again.
1917 Monthly Abstr. Bull. (Kodak Res. Labs.) Jan. 240 The shutter is locked after actuation and is unlocked by the projection upon the winding system of the film spool engaging with the release member.
1987 Sun (Lowell, Mass.) 3 Dec. 41/1 They unlocked the wheels on his bed and wheeled him out into the corridor.
2013 C. McNab German Automatic Rifles 6 Propellant gas was tapped off from the barrel to mechanically unlock the bolt and power it to the rear against to recoil spring.
c. transitive. To free or dislodge from being fixed, jammed, wedged, or immovable; to return freedom of movement to. Also (and in earliest use) figurative: (of the tongue) to free for speech.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > move in specific manner [verb (transitive)] > free from being fixed
unlock1798
1798 W. Wordsworth Anecd. for Fathers in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 108 Then did the boy his tongue unlock.
1820 W. Scott tr. Noble Moringer in Edinb. Ann. Reg. 1816 9 ii. p. ccccxcix Nor golden mead, nor garment gay unlocks her heavy tongue.
1867 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 5 Jan. 2/1 Sometimes a patient learns for himself how to unlock his joint, and can do it gently, first, in the case of the knee, bending and then..slowly stretching it.
1902 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 Apr. 879 At first he could unlock the knee easily.
1956 Times 20 Jan. 6/4 Doubtless everything possible is being done to unlock the ship. Dr. Fuchs in his latest signal refers to ‘digging and dynamiting’ in an attempt to free the vessel from surrounding ice.
2007 Toronto Star (Nexis) 10 Jan. c2 The father was ‘driving forwards and backwards in an attempt to unlock the brakes’, when the tragedy occurred.
5.
a. transitive. To gain or allow access to the full functionality of (a computer, mobile phone, etc.) or to the contents of (a file), typically by entering a password or some other form of authentication. Also intransitive: (of a device) to allow access in this way.
ΚΠ
1972 J. S. Coleman & N. L. Karweit Information Syst. & Performance Meas. in Schools iii. 43 A particular set of persons..may unlock the file through use of a particular code word, entered into the input device.
1989 PC Mag. 28 Mar. 85 (advt.) Only your password will unlock the computer.
1995 Business Wire (Nexis) 17 Apr. Customers will use a personalized four-digit PIN code number to unlock their phones when they first turn them on.
2014 K. Morris Beginner's Guide to iPhone 6 v. 47 You can unlock it..by..gently resting your finger on the button. The fingerprint should register and the phone will unlock.
b. transitive. To gain or provide access to (additional features) in a DVD or video game.
ΚΠ
1993 Sunday Mail (Adelaide) 24 Oct. 154/3 The author may well send you back a copy of the latest version, a printed manual, a code which unlocks some extra features.
1998 AM Newswire (Nexis) 29 Dec. Once they come out on top of the circuit, four additional levels are unlocked—Superpipe, I-70, Boarder-X, and Freeride.
2013 Custom PC Mar. 88/3 There's a compelling meta-game sitting on top too, letting you unlock new characters and powers with XP accrued from every game you play.
c. transitive. To release (a mobile phone) from a requirement to operate on a given network; to enable (a mobile phone) to operate on the network of any chosen service provider.
ΚΠ
1996 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 8 Aug. The SIM Lock can be deactivated to allow a customer to switch to another network or service provider..but operators often charge a significant fee before they provide the information necessary to unlock the phone.
2002 What Mobile Apr. (Basics section) 8/2 Key selling points..are..a policy of unlocking phones on demand so that they can be used on another network if you wish, [etc.].
2006 M. Larner & J. Howell Italy (rev. ed.) vii. 196 You will need to have your phone ‘unlocked’ from its UK network.., unless you purchased it SIM-free in the first place.
2013 Calgary Herald (Nexis) 11 June c1 The new rules allow for phones to be unlocked for free within 90 days if the device is under contract.
Derivatives
unˈlocker n.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > [noun] > one who or that which discloses or reveals
bewrayerc1440
revelatorc1443
revealer1492
disclosera1513
detector1541
unmasker1605
dark lantern1616
unlocker1619
eye-opener1928
1619 T. Matthew Widdowes Mite 106 The vnlocker of Heauen gates.
1649 tr. Warn. Jac. Beem xxv. 17 Onely the holy spirit is the opener and unlocker.
1721 N. Robinson Compl. Treat. Gravel & Stone 44 The high and mighty Monarch of Physick, Unlocker of all Spagyristick Arcana's, the Bombastick Paracelsus (so he stiles himself).
1839 C. J. Lever Confessions Harry Lorrequer xxxiv. 241 There is no such unlocker of the secrets of the heart as the possibly near approach of death.
1990 G. Bear Queen of Angels (1991) i. xiii. 64 He always heard Sibelius strings and drums when seeing her,..a treasure to the right unlocker of passions.
2012 Dominion Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 19 May 23 He returned to his car to discover that not only did the remote unlocker not work, but even using the old-fashioned key, he could not get into his car.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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v.c1400- let see what
- let see whether
- let set to hire
- let shift
- let sleeping a sleeping dog lie
- let sleeping dogs lie
- let slide
- let slip
- let slip through one's fingers
- let someone rip
- let something overpass
- let something pass
- let something pass in silence
- let something rest
- let something ride
- let something rip
- let something stand
- let something walk
- let stand
- let take one's back hair down
- let take one's hair down
- let that fly stick in the wall
- let that fly stick to the wall
- let the buyer beware
- let the cat out of the bag