release yourself of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "release yourself of" is not correct in standard English; the correct form is "release yourself from." You can use it when discussing the act of freeing oneself from a burden, obligation, or negative emotion.
Example: "It's important to release yourself from the stress of past mistakes to move forward."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

"Believe in yourself, and release yourself of things that you think you want," LaBelle says.

Huffington Post

So release yourself of your bitterness and personal anxiety, and just let your joy come out!

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

At another moment he told Mr. Gomes, "Release yourself from the bonds of choreography," adding jokingly, "You're from Brazil, for heaven's sake!" If some dancers were surprised by Mr. Forsythe's lack of propriety about his work, the Ballet Theater principal Ethan Stiefel was not.

The New York Times - Arts

According to Barry Lopez (in his 1989 book Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape) it's because hunting is a "means to release yourself from rational images of what something 'means' and to be concerned only that it 'is'".

The Guardian - Sport

If you're harshly self-critical, you may want to make room for the practice to release yourself from the chains of perfectionism, Germer says.

Huffington Post

You will also release yourself from the curse of shedding innocent blood:  "O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst...you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed".

Huffington Post

Here, Egedy explains how the T.A.Z. can help you release yourself from the mechanisms of control imposed by society, and shares a special Halloween spell for using black magic to hex evil corporations.

Vice

Release yourself from the tendency of being problem averse and for shifting away responsibility.

WikiHow

Release yourself from the death-air of IB and inhale the fresh air.

WikiHow

You will do well and release yourself from under the weight of such heavy loads if only you can gather your wits and confront them politely with all the stuff they did to you that you never liked and tell them you forgive.

WikiHow

You are kind of releasing yourself symbolically from responsibility of whatever is about to happen.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "release yourself from" instead of "release yourself of" to ensure grammatical correctness. This simple change will significantly improve the clarity and credibility of your writing.

Common error

The most common mistake is using the preposition "of" instead of "from" after the verb "release". Remember that the correct idiom is to "release yourself from" something, indicating separation or freedom from a burden or obligation. Using "of" creates a grammatically incorrect phrase.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "release yourself of" attempts to function as a reflexive verb phrase, where the subject performs an action that affects themselves. However, it is grammatically incorrect. As noted by Ludwig, the correct form is to "release yourself from."

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

50%

Science

0%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "release yourself of" is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "release yourself from". Although Ludwig provides some examples of its use, it's infrequent and considered an error. The intended meaning is to free oneself from a burden or negative emotion. Therefore, it is best to avoid "release yourself of" and use "release yourself from" or alternatives like "free yourself from" to ensure clarity and grammatical correctness in your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Release yourself from

Corrects the grammatical error by using the correct preposition "from" instead of "of".

Free yourself from

Uses "free" as a synonym for "release", maintaining the meaning while ensuring grammatical accuracy.

Liberate yourself from

Employs "liberate" for a stronger sense of freedom, while correcting the preposition.

Unburden yourself from

Focuses on relieving a burden, using "unburden" and the correct preposition "from".

Rid yourself of

Highlights the act of getting rid of something, maintaining a similar meaning.

Detach yourself from

Implies creating distance or separation, while keeping the meaning in the context.

Extricate yourself from

Suggests freeing yourself from a difficult situation, maintaining the sense.

Disentangle yourself from

Focuses on resolving a complex entanglement, related to freeing yourself.

Disengage yourself from

Implies withdrawing or disconnecting, in the context of freeing yourself.

Absolve yourself of

Emphasizes the act of clearing yourself of blame or responsibility.

FAQs

What's the correct way to say "release yourself"?

The correct way to phrase it is to "release yourself from" something. The preposition "from" is necessary for grammatical accuracy.

Is it ever correct to say "release yourself of"?

No, the grammatically correct phrase is always "release yourself from". Using "of" in this context is considered an error.

What does "free yourself from" mean?

"Free yourself from" means to remove or escape something that is holding you back or causing you distress. It's synonymous with the correct usage of "release yourself from".

What are some alternatives to "release yourself from"?

Alternatives include "liberate yourself from", "unburden yourself from", or simply "free yourself from", all expressing the idea of gaining freedom from something.