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Release

/ɹɪˈliːs/

The event of setting (someone or something) free (e.g. hostages, slaves, prisoners, caged animals, hooked or stuck mechanisms).

Full Dictionary Entry

📖 Definitions of "Release"

noun

1
The event of setting (someone or something) free (e.g. hostages, slaves, prisoners, caged animals, hooked or stuck mechanisms).
2
The distribution of an initial or new and upgraded version of a computer software product; the distribution can be either public or private.
3
Anything recently released or made available (as for sale).
"The video store advertised that it had all the latest releases."
4
That which is released, untied or let go.
"They marked the occasion with a release of butterflies."

verb

1
To let go (of); to cease to hold or contain.
"He released his grasp on the lever."
2
To make available to the public.
"They released the new product later than intended."
3
To free or liberate; to set free.
"He was released after two years in prison."
4
To discharge.
"They released thousands of gallons of water into the river each month."

🔄 Synonyms of "Release"

30 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

Word	Definition
freenoun	(social) Unconstrained.
relinquishverb	(transitive) To give up, abandon or retire from something; to trade away.
issuenoun	The action or an instance of flowing or coming out, an outflow, particularly:
dischargenoun	To free of a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to forgive; to clear.
liberationnoun	The act of liberating or the state of being liberated.
expelverb	(transitive) To eject.
looseverb	(transitive) To let loose, to free from restraints.
turnverb	To make a non-linear physical movement.
exitnoun	An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
departurenoun	The act of departing or something that has departed.
sacknoun	A bag; especially a large bag of strong, coarse material for storage and handling of various commodities, such as potatoes, coal, coffee; or, a bag with handles used at a supermarket, a grocery sack; or, a small bag for small items, a satchel.
liberateverb	(transitive) To set free, to make or allow to be free, particularly
bring outverb	To elicit, evoke, or emphasize (a particular quality).
put outverb	Taking offense; indignant.
passingnoun	Going past.
give upverb	(transitive) To stop or quit (an activity, etc.)
dismissalnoun	Deprivation of office; the fact or process of being fired from employment or stripped of rank.
spillnoun	(transitive) To drop something so that it spreads out or makes a mess; to accidentally pour.
expirationnoun	An act, process, or instance of expiring.
ejectverb	(transitive) To throw out or remove forcefully.
acquittancenoun	(now historical) A writing which is evidence of a discharge; a receipt in full, which bars a further demand.
lossnoun	(countable) The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement.
outletnoun	A wall-mounted socket connected to an electrical power supply, at which current can be taken to run electrical devices.
spillagenoun	That which has been spilled.
unblockverb	(transitive) To remove or clear a block or obstruction from.

↔️ Antonyms of "Release"

Words with the opposite meaning.

Word	Definition
holdverb	(transitive) To grasp or grip.
blocknoun	A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance.
freezenoun	(intransitive, copulative) Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
confineverb	(transitive) To restrict (someone or something) to a particular scope or area; to keep in or within certain bounds.
detainverb	(transitive) To keep someone from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
immobilizeverb	To render motionless; to stop moving or stop from moving.
take holdverb	(followed by of) To grasp, seize.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Release"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
looseverb	(transitive) To let loose, to free from restraints.
liberateverb	(transitive) To set free, to make or allow to be free, particularly
liberationnoun	The act of liberating or the state of being liberated.
unlooseverb	(transitive) To free (someone or something) from a constraint; (figuratively) to release (something which has been suppressed, such as emotions or objectionable things).
expelverb	(transitive) To eject.
dischargenoun	To free of a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to forgive; to clear.
dismissalnoun	Deprivation of office; the fact or process of being fired from employment or stripped of rank.
ejectverb	(transitive) To throw out or remove forcefully.
unblockverb	(transitive) To remove or clear a block or obstruction from.
departurenoun	The act of departing or something that has departed.
exitnoun	An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
relinquishverb	(transitive) To give up, abandon or retire from something; to trade away.
give upverb	(transitive) To stop or quit (an activity, etc.)
expirationnoun	An act, process, or instance of expiring.
waivernoun	The act of waiving, or not insisting on, some right, claim, or privilege.
secreteverb	(physiology, transitive, of organs, glands, etc.) To extract a substance from blood, sap, or similar to produce and emit waste for excretion or for the fulfilling of a physiological function.
lossnoun	(countable) The result of no longer possessing an object, a function, or a characteristic due to external causes or misplacement.
let goverb	(intransitive, with of and transitive, with object before go) To release from one's grasp; to go from a state of holding on to a state of no longer holding on.
acquittancenoun	(now historical) A writing which is evidence of a discharge; a receipt in full, which bars a further demand.
turnverb	To make a non-linear physical movement.