unclasp

[ uhn-klasp, -klahsp ]
See synonyms for: unclaspunclasped on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to undo the clasp or clasps of; unfasten.

  2. to release from the grasp: to unclasp a sword handle.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become unclasped, as the hands or arms.

  2. to release or relax the grasp.

Origin of unclasp

1
First recorded in 1520–30; un-2 + clasp

Words Nearby unclasp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use unclasp in a sentence

  • Before Ripperda could unclasp his lips to reply, the stranger had opened the door, and passed through it like a gliding shadow.

  • Valverde, probably thinking he could show him to unclasp the volume, stepped nearer to him.

    South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady
  • "Some wine," cried Tristram, chafing Harry's forehead and gently striving to unclasp his sister's arms.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
  • The awful figure held up a warning finger, and then began deliberately to unclasp the volume he held in his hands.

    Red Cap Tales | Samuel Rutherford Crockett
  • When walking with his mother he seeks to unclasp his hand from hers and make a little detour in the grass along the way.

    Revisiting the Earth | James Langdon Hill

British Dictionary definitions for unclasp

unclasp

/ (ʌnˈklɑːsp) /


verb
  1. (tr) to unfasten the clasp of (something)

  2. to release one's grip (upon an object)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012