release

[ri-lees]

verb (used with object)

released, releasing 

1. to free from confinement, bondage, obligation, pain, etc.; let go.

   to release a prisoner; to release someone from a debt.

   Synonyms: deliver, loose
   Antonyms: bind

2. to free from anything that restrains, fastens, etc..

   to release a catapult.

   Synonyms: disengage, extricate, loose
   Antonyms: fasten

3. to allow to be known, issued, done, or exhibited.

   to release an article for publication.

   Synonyms: publish, announce

4. Law.,  to give up, relinquish, or surrender (a right, claim, etc.).

noun

1. a freeing or releasing from confinement, obligation, pain, emotional strain, etc.

   Synonyms: emancipation, deliverance, liberation

2. liberation from anything that restrains or fastens.

3. some device or agency for effecting such liberation.

4. a grant of permission, as to publish, use, or sell something.

5. the releasing of something for publication, performance, use, exhibition, or sale.

6. the film, book, record, etc., that is released.

7. press release.

8. Law.

   1. the surrender of a right or the like to another.

   2. a document embodying such a surrender.

9. Law Obsolete.,  a remission, as of a debt, tax, or tribute.

10. Machinery.

    1. a control mechanism for starting or stopping a machine, especially by removing some restrictive apparatus.

    2. the opening of an exhaust port or valve at or near the working stroke of an engine so that the working fluid can be exhausted on the return stroke.

    3. the point in the stroke of an engine at which the exhaust port or valve is opened.

11. (in jazz or popular music) a bridge.

release

/ rɪˈliːs /

verb

1. to free (a person, animal, etc) from captivity or imprisonment

2. to free (someone) from obligation or duty

3. to free (something) from (one's grip); let go or fall

4. to issue (a record, film, book, etc) for sale or circulation

5. to make (news or information) known or allow (news or information) to be made known

   to release details of an agreement

6. law to relinquish (a right, claim, title, etc) in favour of someone else

7. ethology to evoke (a response) through the presentation of a stimulus that produces the response innately

noun

1. the act of freeing or state of being freed, as from captivity, imprisonment, duty, pain, life, etc

2. the act of issuing for sale or publication

3. something issued for sale or public showing, esp a film or a record

   a new release from Bob Dylan

4. a news item, document, etc, made available for publication, broadcasting, etc

5. law the surrender of a claim, right, title, etc, in favour of someone else

6. a control mechanism for starting or stopping an engine

7. 1. the opening of the exhaust valve of a steam engine near the end of the piston stroke

   2. the moment at which this valve opens

8. the electronic control regulating how long a note sounds after a synthesizer key has been released

9. the control mechanism for the shutter in a camera

Other Word Forms

• releaser noun
• releasability noun
• releasable adjective
• releasible adjective
• nonrelease noun
• unreleasable adjective
• unreleasible adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of release¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb reles(s)en, relecen, from Old French relesser, relaissier, releiss(i)er, from Latin relaxāre “to loosen, stretch out”; Middle English noun reles(s)e, releise, from Old French reles, relais, releis, back formation from relesser, relaisser, releiss(i)er; lax, relax

Word History and Origins

Origin of release¹

C13: from Old French relesser , from Latin relaxāre to slacken; see _relax

Synonym Study

Release, free, dismiss, discharge, liberate, emancipate may all mean to set at liberty, let loose, or let go. Release and free, when applied to persons, suggest a helpful action. Both may be used (not always interchangeably) of delivering a person from confinement or obligation: to free or release prisoners. Free (less often, release ) is also used for delivering a person from pain, sorrow, etc.: to free from fear. Dismiss, meaning to send away, usually has the meaning of forcing to go unwillingly ( to dismiss a servant ), but may refer to giving permission to go: The teacher dismissed the class early. Discharge, meaning originally to relieve of a burden ( to discharge a gun ), has come to refer to that which is sent away, and is often a close synonym to dismiss; it is used in the meaning permit to go in connection with courts and the armed forces: The court discharged a man accused of robbery. Liberate and emancipate, more formal synonyms for release and free, also suggest action intended to be helpful. Liberate suggests particularly the release from unjust punishment, oppression, and the like, and often means to set free through forcible action or military campaign: They liberated the prisoners, the occupied territories, etc. Emancipate also suggests a release of some size and consequence, but one that is less overt, a more formal or legal freedom; and it sometimes connotes an inner liberation: Lincoln emancipated enslaved African Americans. John emancipated himself.

Example Sentences

The settlement, which needs judicial approval before taking effect, calls for Norwalk to repeal its ban at an upcoming City Council meeting, Bonta said in a release.

From Los Angeles Times

The force said it arrested the man on 1 April on suspicion of murder and he was released while the investigation into Ms Trujillo's death continued.

From BBC

Earlier videos of hostages released by their captors in Gaza have been condemned by world leaders and families as propaganda.

From BBC

Financial terms of the agreement were not released but it will likely make her among the best-paid players in the NWSL.

From Los Angeles Times

This is one of the most critical moments in our country’s history for a documentary like “A Savage Art” to be released.

From Salon

Related Words

• clear 
• deliver 
• discharge 
• drop 
• free 
• issue 
• leak 
• surrender 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of release?

Release means to free from imprisonment or confinement, to free from anything that is acting as a constraint, or to allow something to be out in the open. The word release has many other senses as a verb and a noun.When a person is released, they are freed from their captivity or anything else that was hindering their freedom. This sense of release is an antonym of words like imprison, detain, or confine.

• Real-life examples: A person is released from prison once they complete their sentence. For the most part, a person is released from debt if they declare bankruptcy. Parents often force children to release wild animals back to wherever they came from.



• Used in a sentence: Whenever I go fishing, I always release the fish back into the water after catching them. 

Release is also used in this same sense as a noun.

• Used in a sentence: The king paid for the release of his son from the enemy. 

Release is also used figuratively to mean to free anything from any kind of restraint.

• Used in a sentence: I released the rope and let it fall down into the hole.  

Release can also mean to allow something to be freely distributed or sold to the public.

• Real-life examples: Authors release new books. Musicians release new albums. The government sometimes releases information to the press. Researchers release the results of tests or studies to the public.



• Used in a sentence: Stephen King just released a new book that I really want to read.

Release is used in this same sense as a noun.

• Used in a sentence: People lined up to buy Beyoncé’s newest release.