Skip to main content
to release

to release

69 2.6
To give up a right, claim, or ownership of something
  • verb
  • /rɪˈliːs/
  • Formal
translation icon : renunciar a
  • Thus, all students once enrolled are required to sign forms releasing ownership and control.
  • release responsibility

Examples

  • My old mail, my old legal paperwork, I can release that to my aunt.

  • Breathe and release your doubt and feel the pulse of the trees.

  • You have to release whatever fear has taken hold of you.

  • So the first mindset is to release the need to control.

  • I hereby release you from your contract.

  • My father is dead, and I release you from that vow.

  • And personally, for me to release all of my treasured items to a place like this.

  • And if you relive them in a conscious way, you can release yourself from them.

  • But you've got to learn to release your anger.

  • The author decided to release the rights to her book so that it could be turned into a movie.

Synonyms

to let go
vsto release
1.4

To stop holding something or someone so they are free

is broader and covers legal or ownership giving up, not only a physical act
to surrender
vsto release
722 4.4

To stop fighting and give control or things to someone else, often when forced

is the neutral term that does not necessarily imply force or coercion
to give up
vsto release
363 2.3

To hand a job or control you have to someone else

focuses on formal transfer of ownership or control rather than simple handing
to let go of
vsto release
356 1.9

To stop holding something so it is not in your hand

is broader and includes formal giving up of ownership or rights beyond physical act
to dispose
vsto release
149 3.4

Get rid of something by throwing it away, selling it, or giving it to someone

is broader and focuses on giving up ownership or control rather than just discarding
to relinquish
vsto release
  • Formal
69 7.2

To give up control, a right, or something you own

is a more general term that can include forced or formal transfers
to renounce
vsto release
  • Formal
69 6.3

To give up a right, belief, job, or position officially

is the neutral term that covers giving up ownership or control in general
to cede
vsto release
  • Formal
39 8.2

To officially give control, ownership or rights to someone else

is broader and not limited to formal or territorial transfers of control
to resign
vsto release
  • Formal
22 3.7

Give up a right or title to something

is the general term that also covers informal or nonofficial giving of control
to concede
vsto release
13 5.5

To give something to another person or group against your will

is the general term that may lack the sense of reluctance or forced transfer
to sign away
vsto release
11 4.8

Give up rights or property by agreeing to it in writing

can be used more generally and does not require a formal written document
to derequisition
vsto release
  • Formal
9.9

To give back property or supplies taken by the government

is a general term not restricted to government or official control changes
to de-access
vsto release
  • Jargon
9.9

To remove an item from a museum collection to sell or throw it away

is the general act of giving up property, not limited to collections

Antonyms

236 3.4

To keep having something such as a job or possession

Idioms

1 9.9

To let loose something powerful and hard to control

by press release
  • Literature
3.6

Through an official announcement a company sends to the news media

Phrasal Verbs

Allow a parked car to move by letting the handbrake go

Compounds

press release
  • Literature
94 2.5

An official message sent to the news media to give information

time-release
  • Specialized
2 5.4

Releases medicine slowly into the body over several hours

3.6

A new version of a film or album that people put out before

7.5

Announcing official decisions to the public by press release before any internal discussion

How Complete

to abandon
773 3.1
to relinquish
  • Formal
69 7.2
to release
  • Formal
69 2.6
to give up
363 2.3
to waive
  • Formal
107 6.6

Surface Forms

release infinitive
released past
released past participle
releasing present participle
releases third person singular

Morphology

release = lease (opaque) = re + lease

Although the form looks like 're-' + 'lease', the prefix does not mean 'again' here and 'lease' (rent/let) does not convey the meaning 'set free', so knowing 'lease' will not help learners derive the meaning.

Etymology

Release comes from the parts re- 'back' and the French verb laisser 'to let'. You can think of it as 'letting go' of a claim, so to release a right is to give it up.