déchaîner

to unleash

verb deh-sheh-NEH Rare

Also means

to unchain

Usage Note

déchaîner literally means to remove chains (chaînes, f pl) but is almost always used figuratively: déchaîner les passions (to unleash passions), déchaîner une tempête (to unleash a storm). The reflexive se déchaîner means to rage or to go wild: la foule s'est déchaînée (the crowd went wild).

Examples

"La tempête s'est déchaînée cette nuit."

Natural Translation

The storm raged through the night.

Literal Translation

The storm unleashed itself this night.

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