What does "unstring" mean?
To remove the string or strings from.
Unstring
/ʌnˈstɹɪŋ/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To remove the string or strings from.
- Grammar: unstring is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abate, alarm, attenuate, bate.
- Useful contrasts: bowstring, bowstrings, garland.
- Usage evidence: Unstring the bows before storing them.
How to use "unstring"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "unstring" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "unstring" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "unstring" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "unstring" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "unstring" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "unstring", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To remove the string or strings from. transitive
"Unstring the bows before storing them."
- 2 remove the strings from wordnet
- 3 To shake the nerves of; to cause anxiety or panic in. transitive
"[T]he monſter, rouſed by the noiſe, ſtarted forward, preſented ſuch a viſage of horror, and raiſed ſuch a hideous roar, that the hearts of the bold were contracted, and the nerves of the valiant unſtrung."
- 4 To defuse or relax.
"In the mean time, the same, or a similar end, may be attained, in the 2d PLACE, By splitting a duty on a commodity, so as to unstring the stimulus to smuggle, while we preserve the same, or perhaps require a greater amount, from the same subject than we had before."
- 5 To remove from a string; to release something that has been strung up or strung together.
""Poke a hole in the tops and bottoms of these eggs, blow out the yolks and whites, unstring the diamonds and stick them through the holes...""
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To untie.
"Invaded thus, for want of better bands, His garland they unstring, and bind his hands"
- 7 To split (a text string) into smaller strings by separating on a delimiter. transitive
"It is also possible to save the delimiters (this might prove useful if the delimiters were also some sort of text identifier) and to count the length of the data items we are unstringing."
Antonyms
Example
"Unstring the bows before storing them."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "unstring"?
Common synonyms include: abate, alarm, attenuate, bate, blunt, castrate.
How do you use "unstring" in a sentence?
Unstring the bows before storing them.
How do you pronounce "unstring"?
Pronounced /ʌnˈstɹɪŋ/.
Etymology
From un- + string.