Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To detach or unfasten.
  • transitive verb To undo or cancel the arrangement of.
  • transitive verb To cause to be unstable or uncertain.
  • transitive verb To alter (one's gaze) from a single object or direction.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make no longer fixed or firm; loosen from any fastening; detach; unsettle: as, to unfix the mind or affections; to unfix bayonets.
  • To melt; dissolve.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To loosen from a fastening; to detach from anything that holds; to unsettle
  • transitive verb rare To make fluid; to dissolve.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To unfasten from a fixing

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- +‎ fix

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Examples

  • I was lying on the sofa, with a book and a wine-glass, at about that time, when the door opened, and a gentleman in a stiff cravat, within a year or two on either side of thirty, entered, in his hat and gloves; walked up to the looking-glass; arranged his hair; took off his gloves; slowly produced a measure from the uttermost depths of his coat pocket; and requested me, in a languid tone, to "unfix" my straps.

    American Notes 1842

  • I was lying on the sofa, with a book and a wine-glass, at about that time, when the door opened, and a gentleman in a stiff cravat, within a year or two on either side of thirty, entered, in his hat and gloves; walked up to the looking-glass; arranged his hair; took off his gloves; slowly produced a measure from the uttermost depths of his coat-pocket; and requested me, in a languid tone, to 'unfix' my straps.

    American Notes Charles Dickens 1841

  • He attempted to withdraw his hand but Carrigan maintained an unconscious clamp on it, which threw Daniel's free hand into dire confusion: it moved to unfix its imprisoned sibling, but, to its utter horror, found itself established atop Carrigan's wrist in a four-layer embrace that could only be described as intimate.

    Peter Clothier: The Marriage Artist Peter Clothier 2010

  • He attempted to withdraw his hand but Carrigan maintained an unconscious clamp on it, which threw Daniel's free hand into dire confusion: it moved to unfix its imprisoned sibling, but, to its utter horror, found itself established atop Carrigan's wrist in a four-layer embrace that could only be described as intimate.

    Peter Clothier: The Marriage Artist Peter Clothier 2010

  • He lowered his wheezy bulk onto his seat and worried about the ease with which a fixed race could unfix itself.

    The Elvis Latte Allie Dresser 2010

  • He attempted to withdraw his hand but Carrigan maintained an unconscious clamp on it, which threw Daniel's free hand into dire confusion: it moved to unfix its imprisoned sibling, but, to its utter horror, found itself established atop Carrigan's wrist in a four-layer embrace that could only be described as intimate.

    Peter Clothier: The Marriage Artist Peter Clothier 2010

  • That only lasted a day and we had owr kwilts back… maybe the cheezes will unfix teh fix!

    Iz in ur hair - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2008

  • “And wherefore say, good brother, that I would unfix thy principles of belief?” answered Clement.

    The Fair Maid of Perth 2008

  • This gentleman, becoming transfixed at the same moment as his lady – mother, could not by any means unfix himself again, but stood stiffly staring at the whole composition with

    Little Dorrit 2007

  • He nearly succeeds in spoiling the impending marriage of Claudio and Hero by leading Claudio to believe, on the occasion of a masqued ball (2.1), that Don Pedro is wooing the lady for himself and not for Claudio; and then, undaunted by his final lack of success in this gambit, Don John proceeds to unfix the marriage once again by devising a tale about Hero's supposed sexual profligacy.

    Shakespeare Bevington, David 2002

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