MEANING
To unwind something from a curled or wound shape, or to become unwound in this way.
Use it for
describing a snake straightening its body; showing a curled person rising; unwinding a rope or cable; portraying slow release from a tightly curled shapeMakes the release of a curled body or wound object visually precise without implying rapid or violent motion. Writing functions: Movement.
Words that belong together
- uncoil a rope
- a snake uncoils
- slowly uncoil
On the page
The creature uncoiled beneath the bench, longer than she had imagined.
He uncoiled the cable across the floor before connecting the lamp.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- uncoil
- Past tense
- uncoiled
- Past participle
- uncoiled
- Present participle
- uncoiling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- uncoil
- Present continuous
- am/is/are uncoiling
- Present perfect
- have/has uncoiled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been uncoiling
- Past
- uncoiled
- Past continuous
- was/were uncoiling
- Past perfect
- had uncoiled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been uncoiling
- Future
- will uncoil
- Future continuous
- will be uncoiling
- Future perfect
- will have uncoiled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been uncoiling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Transitive or intransitive: uncoil, uncoils, uncoiled, uncoiled, uncoiling; future will uncoil. Can describe a curled body straightening. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.