Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use unlock in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun

Unlock means to undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination. Example: “I unlocked the door and walked in.”

Examples of unlock by meaning

verbTo undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination.

  • I unlocked the door and walked in.

verbTo obtain access to something; to meet the requirements of a security or protection system.

  • I unlocked the dictionary article so I could edit it.
  • This computer game is shareware, but you can pay for a code to unlock the full version.
  • Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene.2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

verbTo disclose or reveal previously unknown knowledge or potential.

  • The discovery of a clue unlocked the mystery.
  • I will unlock it.2022 April 14, Rupert Neate, quoting Elon Musk, “Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for more than $40bn”, in The Guardian

verbTo be or become unfastened or unrestrained.

  • He had come straight up without mishap or swerving off his course, and his shut teeth unlocked.1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC

verbTo undermine something that has control over a situation; to find a way to counter or oppose.

  • Saka's cross unlocked a well-organised Ukraine defence for Kane to pounce and set England on their way before producing a superb piece of individual skill to effectively end the contest.2023 March 26, Phil McNulty, “England 2-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport

nounThe act of unlocking something.

  • Unlike modern, automated prisons, each cell here was locked and unlocked manually with a large skeleton key.1998, Steven Herberts, The Correctional Officer Inside Prisons, page 38
  • The instructions between a lock and an unlock form a critical section.2011, Ganesh Gopalakrishnan, Shaz Qadeer, Computer Aided Verification: 23rd International Conference

nounAn initially hidden feature that is made available to reward the player for some achievement.

  • The other unlocks, like a grenade launcher or a sniper's steady ability, didn't fit into my playstyle.2012 October 11, Craig Pearson, “Hands On: Medal Of Honour Warfighter”, in Rock Paper Shotgun

More sentences with unlock

  • In order to flash a custom ROM to a phone, the boot loader must be unlocked first.From the entry flash
  • He used a hook-shaped affair with a long handle to unlock the car.From the entry affair
  • When you have checked in to the site from ten different cities, you unlock the Traveller badge.From the entry badge
  • The prison guard unlocked the door of the cell. After completing the repairs, he replaced the sump guard.From the entry guard
  • She produced a loaded keyring and, with a flutter of keys, found the right one to unlock the door.From the entry flutter
  • Completion of a sidequest often results in the acquisition of money or items that are otherwise unavailable, or unlocks another sidequest.From the entry sidequest
  • You can't go round stealing from unlocked cars!From the entry go round
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:achievement unlocked.From the entry achievement unlocked
  • I purposely left the door unlocked.From the entry purposely
  • CLOTHING brand ROXY unlocked a core memory for millennials with their newest collection.2023 May 22, Ashley Vega, “NOSTALGIC CHIC ROXY x Kate Bosworth: Where can I buy the Blue Crush-inspired collection?”, in The U.S. Sun…. From the entry core memory
  • The joy of that old-school unlock process isn’t some relic amplified by the allure of nostalgia.2023 April 12, Matthew Byrd, “Resident Evil 4’s Microtransactions Ruin One of the Remake’s Best Features”, in Den of Geek, archived from…. From the entry old man yells at clouds
  • “You could’ve just texted,” I point out, sidestepping her to unlock Miles’ car.2023, S. Massery, Secret Obsession, →ISBN. From the entry backup camera
  • And the distraction-management software Freedom offers a mode that won’t unlock affected apps absent a telephone-support call.2019 September 5, Ian Bogost, “I tried to limit my screen time (It didn't go well)”, in The Atlantic. From the entry absent
  • He showed Gemma the files to read and unlocked his password wallet.2017, Ray McCarthy, The Solar Alliance, Corvids Press, page 154. From the entry password wallet
  • Sally unlocked her tiny cubicle and found herself feeling quite nostalgic.2014, Lynda Bellingham, chapter 2, in The Boy I Love, London: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN. From the entry nudge nudge wink wink
  • In addition, completing the game unlocks you two more jigglesome killers.2009 February 2, “Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers - hands-on”, in NGamer UK. From the entry jigglesome
  • To unlock your phone, swipe the slider from left to right.2008, Erica Sadun, Taking Your iPhone to the Max, Apress, →ISBN, page 27. From the entry swipe
  • Max found the door unlocked and the sizzle and aroma of stirfry met his ears and nose.2003, Karen Rose, Don’t Tell, Rearsby, Leics.: W F Howes Ltd, published 2010, →ISBN, page 76. From the entry stirfry
  • I unlock my tote box and reach for my gym strip.2002, Diane Tullson, Edge, page 52. From the entry gym strip
  • She was a little taken aback to find the front door of heavy oak unlocked.2001, Anna Gilbert, A Morning in Eden, New York: St. Martin's Press, page 9. From the entry take aback
  • The staff feared that earlier transfer to unlocked units would increase the abscondence.1998, Compulsory treatment for alcohol use disorders, page 315. From the entry abscondence
  • There were no bars on the windows, no jangling keys, no doors to lock or unlock.1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 650. From the entry gilded cage
  • I unlocked my deep drawer and got out my office bottle and two pony glasses.1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 64. From the entry pony glass
  • There was a considerable outhouse, which he unlocked and we entered.1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Disintegration Machine. From the entry outhouse
  • This was the marconigram which was to be the key to unlock the whole mystery.1926, George Dilnot, The Story of Scotland Yard. From the entry marconigram
  • It cannot be left unlocked unless you deliberately prop it open.1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados. From the entry self-acting
  • The man beside him with the earrings and the big black case proceeded to unlock it.1911, G. K. Chesterton, “The Sins of Prince Saradine”, in The Innocence of Father Brown. From the entry rapier
  • The big concierge puts me in, locks the door, unlocks the catch, and lets it go.1910, Agness Greene Foster, “Italy”, in By the Way: Travel Letters Written During Several Journeys Abroad […], revised and enlarged…. From the entry ascensor
  • It gives strength as if it were the key to unlock powers.1903, Alice Bunker Stockham, Karezza: Ethics of Marriage. From the entry karezza

Meaning of unlock

  1. verb To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination.
  2. verb To obtain access to something; to meet the requirements of a security or protection system.
  3. verb To configure (a mobile phone) so that it is not bound to any particular carrier.

Full definition of unlock

Questions about unlock in a sentence

How do you use unlock in a sentence?
Unlock is used as a verb and noun. For example: “I unlocked the door and walked in.”
What is a short sentence with unlock?
“I will unlock it.”
What does unlock mean?
Unlock means to undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: unlock (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use unlock in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/unlock. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.