unstring

[ uhn-string ]
See synonyms for: unstringunstrung on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),un·strung, un·string·ing.
  1. to deprive of strings: to unstring a violin.

  2. to take from a string: to unstring beads.

  1. to loosen the strings of: to unstring a bow.

  2. to relax the tension of.

  3. to relax unduly, or weaken (the nerves).

  4. to weaken the nerves of.

Origin of unstring

1
First recorded in 1605–15; un-2 + string

Words Nearby unstring

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

How to use unstring in a sentence

  • unstring thy strong bows for the sake of our liberal lords, O bounteous Rudra, be gracious to our kith and kin.

  • After using it unstring it, and at a large shooting-party unloose your bow after every round.

    The Art of Entertaining | M. E. W. Sherwood
  • The similar fevers and exasperations of factory life lead the workers to unstring their tense nerves with liquor.

  • We meet only an embarrassment of choice when we start to unstring the chaplet of our carking cares.

    The Simple Life | Charles Wagner
  • There are wicked philosophers abroad who unstring the bow of harder toil by picking your inmost thoughts!

British Dictionary definitions for unstring

unstring

/ (ʌnˈstrɪŋ) /


verb-strings, -stringing or -strung (tr)
  1. to remove the strings of

  2. (of beads, pearls, etc) to remove or take from a string

  1. to weaken or enfeeble emotionally (a person or his nerves)

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