Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To remove the harness or similar equipment from.
  • transitive verb To release or liberate (energy or passions, for example).
  • transitive verb To remove the armor from (a wearer).

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To strip of harness; loose from harness or gear; hence, to set free from work; release.
  • To remove armor or military dress from.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To strip of harness; to loose from harness or gear.
  • transitive verb To disarm; to divest of armor.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive to remove the harness from a horse etc.
  • verb transitive, by extension to liberate

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb remove the harness from

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- +‎ harness

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Examples

  • The sled was upside down and jammed between a tree-trunk and a huge rock, and they were forced to unharness the dogs in order to straighten out the tangle.

    The Hunger Cry 2010

  • An 'now, just to make everything safe an' comfortable, I'm goin 'to unharness the horses.

    CHAPTER XI 2010

  • After unloading the empties, my dad will unharness Pat, give him a rub-down and his dinner.

    Family life 2011

  • Tommy Hall had no musical experience, but he had something else the band found essential: LSD, the new drug that was thought to unharness artistic creativity.

    Archive: The elevator doesn't stop here anymore. Music legend Roky Erickson, godfather of the psychedelic sound, survived the '60s. Sort of. Click Track 2010

  • The only thing that could be done was to let those who could not hold in their teams unharness some of the dogs and tie them on the sledge.

    The South Pole~ The End of the Winter 2009

  • Horses lash out, the cannons flee; the soldiers of the artillery-train unharness the caissons and use the horses to make their escape; transports overturned, with all four wheels in the air, clog the road and occasion massacres.

    Les Miserables 2008

  • The next thing to be done was to unharness the horse.

    The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club 2007

  • "Let us seek the temple then, while we can still unharness the dragons without stumbling over straps," Kiron said, catching up the reins of Wastet and Tathulan before they could follow their masters.

    Aerie Lackey, Mercedes 2006

  • After receiving my answer, in which I, of course, expressed my readiness to assent to his proposal, he proceeded to unharness his horse, and, feeling myself much better,

    Lavengro 2004

  • ‘Afraid!’ growled the fellow, proceeding to unharness his horse; ‘that was the word, I think.’

    Lavengro 2004

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