unglue

unglue — verb

  • ungluepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • unglues3rd person singular
  • ungluing-ing form
  • ungluedpast simple

1. to pull or peel a glued object away from the surface it was attached to, or for

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

to pull or peel a glued object away from the surface it was attached to, or for two glued surfaces to lose their bond and separate on their own

Example

The leg of the wooden chair came unglued after months in a damp basement.

intransitive pattern: come unglued

Brooke carefully heated the old photo frame to unglue the backing paper without tearing it.

transitive: unglue + object

Common collocations
  • come unglued
  • unglue from [surface]
  • carefully unglue
  • unglue by heating / using solvent
Synonyms
  • separate

    broader; any kind of division, not just glued items

  • detach

    more formal, often used for parts that snap or screw apart as well

  • unstick

    more informal; suggests pulling something off a sticky surface

  • peel

    specific to thin layers or strips removed bit by bit

Antonyms
  • glue

    the direct opposite action

  • stick

    general opposite; fixing one thing onto another

Grammar Patterns

unglue + [object]

[subject] + come(s) unglued

Usage Note

The intransitive use most commonly appears in the phrase 'come unglued,' which can also mean 'to lose emotional control' in informal American English (e.g., 'He came unglued when he heard the news').

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe moving something away from a surface or connection, but they differ in method and scope. 'Separate' is the broadest — it works for any kind of division (people, ideas, objects, glued or not). 'Detach' implies a clean, deliberate removal, often of something that was fitted or screwed on as well as glued. 'Unstick' is more informal and usually involves pulling against a sticky or tacky bond, like removing a sticker. 'Peel' is the narrowest: it describes removing a thin layer (skin, label, wallpaper) gradually from one edge. For example, you might detach a phone case, unstick a bandage, peel a stamp off an envelope, or simply separate two Lego bricks.

separate ↗detach ↗unstick ↗peel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • come unglued
  • use heat to unglue

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'reverse the action of') to the verb glue. Glue comes from Old French glu ('birdlime, sticky substance'), which traces back to Latin glus (also 'glue'). The word has been used since the 18th century for the physical act of undoing a glued joint.

First known use

1548

1548, in the meaning defined above