unhook
/'ʌn'huk/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To remove or detach something from a hook: The primary meaning is to take something off a hook, freeing it from being suspended or fastened by that hook.
- To unfasten a hook-and-eye closure: To open or disconnect a fastening mechanism consisting of a hook and a loop or eye.
Usage and Examples
- Verb:
- Please unhook the painting from the wall so we can clean behind it.
- She reached behind her neck to unhook the clasp of her necklace.
- The fisherman carefully unhooked the trout and released it back into the water.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: Can describe disconnecting or freeing oneself from a metaphorical attachment or obligation.
- After years of stress, she finally unhooked herself from the demanding corporate job.
- "To become unhooked": A passive or reflexive form meaning to come off a hook by itself or to be accidentally unfastened.
- My coat became unhooked from the rack and fell to the floor.
Variants and Related Words
- Hook (verb/noun): The opposite action; to attach or catch on a hook, or the curved device itself.
- Unhooked (adjective): Describing something that is not attached by a hook or is unfastened.
- The gate was left unhooked and swung open in the wind.
Synonyms
- Detach: To separate something from something else.
- Unfasten: To open or loosen a fastening.
- Disengage: To release or detach from a connection.
Antonyms
- Hook: To attach or catch on a hook.
- Fasten: To close or secure.
- Attach: To connect or join.
Phrasal Verbs
- Unhook from: To detach or separate from a specific point of connection.
- He unhooked the trailer from the truck.
Related Idioms
- "Off the hook": While not directly using the verb "unhook," this idiom relates to being freed from an obligation or difficulty, conceptually linked to the act of removal.
- The evidence proved his innocence, so he was off the hook for the crime.