# release

Pronunciation: say "ree-LEES" /ɹəˈliːs/

## Verb

1. To set a person, animal, or thing free from confinement or restraint.
   - Simple: To set a person or animal free so they can move or go.
   - _The court ordered officials to release the detainees immediately._
   - _Volunteers released the rehabilitated seals into the open sea._
2. To make a product, work, or piece of information available to the public; (of a product or work) to come out or become available.
   - Simple: To make a film, record, product, or news available to the public, or to come out for people to see.
   - _The agency plans to release the report once the review is complete._
   - _The company released its smartphone in over forty countries._
4. To stop holding or gripping something; to cease to contain it.
   - Simple: To stop holding something so it can fall, move, or go free.
   - _You must release the clutch gently to avoid stalling._
   - _The climber released her grip and lowered herself slowly._
7. To let out or discharge something held within.
   - Simple: To send out or let out something, such as gas, liquid, or energy.
   - _The power plant releases warm water back into the river._
   - _Volcanoes release enormous quantities of ash during eruptions._
8. To loosen or relax something, or to free someone from an obligation or duty.
   - Simple: To free someone from a duty or promise they had to keep.
   - _The bank agreed to release the borrower from part of the debt._
   - _Signing the waiver releases the company from any liability._
13. To play a pass that frees a teammate from defenders and gives them a clear opportunity to score.
   - Simple: To pass the ball to a teammate so they get a clear chance to score.
   - _With one clever pass, he released the forward into open space._
   - _Defenders dropped deep, but the playmaker still managed to release her teammate in front of goal._
15. To give up or quit a legal claim, or to transfer a right over land or buildings to another party who already holds an interest in it.
   - Simple: To give up a legal right or claim, or to hand over rights to land to someone else.
   - _The tenant agreed to release any claim he held over the disputed parcel._
   - _By deed, the brothers released their interest in the property to their sister._

## Noun

3. Something recently made available or put out, especially for sale.
   - Simple: A new thing, like a movie or song, that has just been made available.
   - _The director's latest release topped the box office this weekend._
   - _Music shops stocked dozens of new releases for the holiday season._
5. The act or event of setting someone or something free, such as a prisoner or a trapped mechanism.
   - Simple: The act of setting a person, animal, or thing free.
   - _The release of the captured animals was filmed by the rescue team._
   - _Negotiators secured the release of the detained journalists._
6. A new or updated version of a software product made available to users, whether publicly or to a private group; also, the distribution of such a version.
   - Simple: A new or updated version of a computer program that is given out to users.
   - _The development team scheduled the release for early next quarter._
   - _Each new release of the operating system adds security patches._
9. The process in which a chemical substance is freed into a system or environment.
   - Simple: The way a chemical is let out into the body or its surroundings.
   - _The release of histamine causes the symptoms of an allergic reaction._
   - _Researchers measured the release of dopamine during the experiment._
10. Freedom or relief from pain or suffering.
   - Simple: A feeling of freedom from pain or worry.
   - _The medication offered her some release from the constant pain._
   - _For many, sleep is the only release from chronic worry._
11. The thing that has been set free, untied, or let go.
   - Simple: Something that has been set free, untied, or let go.
   - _Each release from the wildlife center wears a small tracking tag on its leg._
   - _The sanctuary's newest release bounded into the forest and disappeared._
12. A catch, button, lever, or similar device that holds a mechanism in place and frees it when operated, such as a camera's shutter release or the trip catch on a circuit breaker.
   - Simple: A button, lever, or catch on a machine that you press or move to let a part go or start working.
   - _A spring-loaded release keeps the trailer locked onto the hitch until the driver lifts the lever._
   - _Flip the release on the front fork, and the wheel slides right out._
14. The voluntary giving up of a legal claim, especially the right to collect a debt.
   - Simple: The act of giving up a legal claim, especially money that someone owes you.
   - _The creditor granted a release of all remaining obligations under the contract._
   - _A formal release extinguished the company's claim against the estate._
16. The climax of sexual excitement; an orgasm.
   - Simple: A polite word for the peak moment of sexual pleasure, known as orgasm.
   - _The tension built until release overtook her in a wave._
   - _He reached release moments after she did._
17. The semen discharged at the moment of orgasm; ejaculate.
   - Simple: A slang word for semen that has been ejaculated.
   - _His release stained the front of his shorts._
   - _She felt his release warm against her skin._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To end a telephone call by hanging up or disconnecting the line.
- (noun) In jazz, a bridge: the contrasting middle section of a tune that departs from the main theme.
- (noun) The act or manner in which a sound ends or dies away.
- (noun) In the railway block system, a printed card carrying information and instructions, used at intermediate sidings that had no telegraph station.

## Origin

Old French relaisser, a variant of relascher, was borrowed into Middle English as relesen or relessen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/release (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).