Dictionary

uncouple en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ʌnˈkʌpəl/

Etymology

From Middle English uncouple; equivalent to un- + couple.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To disconnect or detach one thing from another.
   • On arrival at Spiez, the locomotive (No. 206) was immediately uncoupled and drew ahead to enable an Italian through coach from Interlaken to Milan to be loose shunted (with passengers aboard and controlled by means of its handbrake) on to the front of the train. 1953 August, J. G. Click, “The Lötschberg Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 515:
   • The driver remained at his post, while telling fireman Jim Nightall to get down on the track and run back to uncouple the burning wagon from the rest. 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948:
   • The railway workers uncoupled the cars near the tail end of the train.
   • We uncoupled the trailer and left it behind.
   • The shunter has a lightweight portable radio transmitter by which, as he uncouples an incoming train into cuts for marshalling, he informs the Traffic Office of the number of wagons in each cut and its siding; [...]. 1960 June, “Talking of Trains: The new Margam yard”, in Trains Illustrated, page 323:
2. (transitive) To come loose.
3. (transitive) To loose, as dogs, from their couples.

Forms

Deriveds

uncoupled · uncoupler

Hypernyms

take apart · disjoin · split up · break apart · disunite · separate · disassociate · break up

Synonyms

dispair · decouple · unpair

Translations (6)

uk розчіпляти (to disconnect or detach) · de loslösen (to disconnect or detach) · de abhängen (to disconnect or detach) · uk роз'єднувати (to disconnect or detach) · bg разединявам (to disconnect or detach) · de abkuppeln (to disconnect or detach)