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Unblock vs Unlock - What's the difference?

unblock | unlock |

In transitive terms the difference between unblock and unlock

is that unblock is to free or make available while unlock is to disclose or reveal previously unknown knowledge.

unblock

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To remove or clear a block or obstruction from.
  • We need a plumber to unblock the sink.
  • To free or make available.
  • * 2010 , Syed Ali, Dubai: gilded cage (page 58)
  • It is not just bad news about Dubai that gets blocked from the Internet; a whole range of other social networking sites have been blocked, unblocked and reblocked.
    English transitive verbs

    unlock

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To undo or open a lock or something locked by, for example, turning a key, or selecting a combination.
  • To obtain access to something.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}
  • To disclose or reveal previously unknown knowledge.
  • To be or become unfastened or unrestrained.
  • *
  • He had come straight up without mishap or swerving off his course, and his shut teeth unlocked .