unmoor

The sailor unmoors the small boat from the dock.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive and intransitive):
   • To release (a vessel) from its moorings: To untie or cast off the ropes or anchors that hold a ship, boat, or other floating vessel in place.
   • To detach or become detached from a fixed position: More broadly, to free something from being secured or anchored, whether literally or figuratively.

Usage Examples

• Literal (maritime):

  • The captain ordered the crew to unmoor the ship before sunrise. (To release the vessel from its dock or anchor.)
  • They unmoor the boat carefully to avoid drifting into the current. (They untie the mooring lines.)

• Figurative (rare):

  • The scandal threatened to unmoor the politician from his stable career. (To detach or destabilize him from his secure position.)

Advanced Usage

• "To unmoor from reality": To become detached from rational or practical considerations.

  • His wild theories seemed to unmoor him from any sense of truth. (To separate him from reality.)

• "Unmooring" (gerund or noun): The act or process of releasing a vessel or detaching something.

  • The unmooring of the yacht took only a few minutes. (The process of releasing it.)

Variants and Related Words

• Moor (verb): To secure a vessel with ropes or anchors.

  • We need to moor the boat to the dock. (To tie it up.)

• Mooring (noun): The ropes, anchors, or place used to secure a vessel.

  • The mooring lines are strong enough for the storm. (The ropes used for securing.)

• Unmooring (noun): The act of unmooring.

  • The unmooring was done quietly in the dark. (The release from moorings.)

Synonyms

• Cast off: To release a vessel from its moorings.

  • They cast off the lines and sailed away. (They unmoor the boat.)

• Untie: To undo or free from being tied.

  • Please untie the rope from the cleat. (To unmoor by untying.)

• Detach: To separate something from a fixed point.

  • The storm caused the boat to detach from the dock. (To become unmoor.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Unmoor from (transitive): To release or detach from a specific point.
  • They unmoor the ship from the pier. (To free it from the pier.)

Related Idioms

• Cut loose: To free oneself from ties or constraints, similar to unmooring.

  • He decided to cut loose from his old job and travel. (To detach himself from a fixed situation.)

• Break free: To escape or become detached from a restraint.

  • The boat broke free from its moorings during the storm. (It became unmoor without human action.)