WordGarden.iounlink
B1Pronunciation
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US
Meanings
Verb
to remove a digital link or disconnect linked files, pages, accounts, or services
to separate things so they are no longer connected, associated, or dependent
Beyond the definition
To unlink something is to remove its connection to something else. Think of a chain: if two parts are linked, they are joined; if they are unlinked, that join is undone. In everyday use, this word is most common in digital settings. You might unlink your bank account from a shopping site, unlink a phone from a computer, or unlink one app from another. It is about breaking an existing connection in a clear, deliberate way.
The word usually suggests that the connection was there first and is now being removed. It is not just random separation; it is the undoing of a link.
To unlink means to disconnect or separate things that were previously linked. The idea is simple: there was a connection, and now someone removes it. This can be a physical link, but today the word is used most often for digital systems, accounts, devices, files, or pieces of information.
For example, a person might unlink a social media account from an app, unlink a credit card from an online service, or unlink a Bluetooth device from a phone. In each case, the meaning is the same: the two things were connected, and that connection is being taken away.
The word can also be used in more general writing to describe removing an association between things, ideas, or events. For instance, a report might try to unlink one cause from one result, meaning it argues that the two should no longer be seen as connected. This use is less common than the digital one, but it still follows the same core meaning.
So, "unlink" is not just another word for "separate." It specifically means to undo a link that already existed. Whether you are talking about chains, accounts, devices, or ideas, the word carries the sense of removing a connection on purpose.
Examples
- 1
Bluetooth settings
You can unlink your phone from the speaker in the Bluetooth settings.
- 2
Account email
I had to unlink my old email address from the account before I could add a new one.
- 3
Payment method
If you stop using the app, you can unlink your bank card at any time.
- 4
Identity and work
It took him years to unlink his sense of success from his job title.
- Patternunlink X from Y
stop seeing the two things as connected
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- unpair
- sever
- dissociate
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- unlink an account
- unlink a device
- unlink a file
- unlink from
Word family
- unlinked
- unlinking
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- unlink