👕 To pull out 🧵 To remove stitches

to untuck

1 6.0

To take out stitches from a folded part of clothing to make it looser

verb
/ʌnˈtʌk/

Specialized

: descoser

Examples

I untucked the flap and held it open over the rug.

Fiction book (2001)
She carefully untucked the hem of her dress to shorten its length.
After the meal, he untucked his shirt to feel more comfortable.
The tailor untucked the fabric to give the dress a looser fit.

Synonyms

to unstitch

vsto untuck

1 6.3

To pull out the thread used to join pieces of cloth or close a cut

is focused on unpicking a sewn fold to change clothing form

to unpick

vsto untuck

1 6.4

To remove stitches from fabric by taking out the thread

is specifically about opening a sewn fold to change garment shape

to unsew

vsto untuck

8.4

To remove stitches from cloth or clothing

is about opening a sewn fold to alter its size or shape

Surface Forms

untuck infinitive

untucked past

untucked past participle

untucking present participle

untucks third person singular

Morphology

untuck = tuck (transparent) = un + tuck

The word 'untuck' is transparently derived from 'tuck' with the prefix 'un-' indicating reversal of the action.

Etymology

Untuck comes from un- 'not' and tuck 'a fold or small stitch in cloth', so it literally means to undo a tuck. That's why to untuck clothing in sewing is to open or remove the sewn fold to change the shape or fit of the garment.