unbolt

unbolt — verb

  • unboltpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • unbolts3rd person singular
  • unbolting-ing form
  • unboltedpast simple

1. to slide back the metal bar that locks a door, gate, or window so that it can be

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to slide back the metal bar that locks a door, gate, or window so that it can be opened

Example

João unbolted the stable door and led the horses out.

The iron gate had been unbolted from the inside.

passive: had been unbolted

Common collocations
  • unbolt a door
  • unbolt a gate
  • unbolt the shutter
  • unbolt a window
Synonyms
  • unlatch

    for a lighter catch or hook, not a heavy sliding bolt

  • unbar

    for removing a horizontal bar placed across a door

  • undo

    general term; much broader and less specific than unbolt

Antonyms
  • bolt

    to fasten a door or gate by sliding a metal bar across

Grammar Patterns

unbolt + something

Usage Note

Object is always a door, gate, window, or similar opening secured by a physical bolt.

Common Mistakes

I unbolted the car with my key.
I unlocked the car with my key.
'unbolt' means sliding back a metal bar; use 'unlock' when a key or code is involved.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

The verb unbolt specifically means to slide back a metal bolt that secures a door or gate. Unlatch is similar but refers to a lighter mechanism — you unlatch a garden gate with a simple lever, while you unbolt a heavy door with a thick sliding bar. Unbar means to remove a horizontal bar that rests across a door; it implies a heavier, often old-fashioned security measure. Unlock is the most general term, covering any lock opened by key, code, or bolt, and it is the only one commonly used in metaphorical contexts (unlock potential, unlock a mystery). Among these, unbolt is the most physically specific: it always describes the action of drawing back a sliding metal bolt.

unlatchunbar ↗unlock ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from the prefix un- (meaning 'to reverse an action') and bolt. The noun bolt comes from Old English 'bolt', meaning a short arrow or a metal bar used for fastening. The verb unbolt appeared in the 16th century, originally describing the action of releasing a door or gate by sliding back its bolt.

First known use

1581

1581, in the meaning defined above