divulge
Americanverb (used with object)
-
divulges,
present (3rd person singular)
-
divulged,
past participle, past
-
divulging
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See reveal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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divulgementnoun
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divulgencenoun
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divulgernoun
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nondivulgingadjective
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undivulgedadjective
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undivulgingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
divulgesimple
-
divulgessimple
-
have divulgedperfect
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has divulgedperfect
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am divulgingprogressive
-
are divulgingprogressive
-
is divulgingprogressive
-
have been divulgingperfect progressive
-
has been divulgingperfect progressive
Past
-
divulgedsimple
-
had divulgedperfect
-
was divulgingprogressive
-
were divulgingprogressive
-
had been divulgingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of divulge
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English (from Anglo-French ), from Latin dīvulgāre, equivalent to dī- di- 2 + vulgāre “to make general or common, to spread” ( vulg(us) “the masses” + -āre infinitive suffix)
Explanation
If you've been sneaking around with your best friend's boyfriend, that's probably one secret you don't want to divulge, because revealing that tidbit of information will probably cut your friendship short. Divulge often precedes the word secret, because it means to reveal something, and that something is often of a personal or private nature. A gossip columnist's job is to divulge which celebrities are secretly dating and which ones have been caught in embarrassing situations. Although the word comes from the Latin word for making something public to the masses, it can also be used to describe information passed from one person to another. For example, a mother could divulge to her daughter that she was adopted.
Vocabulary lists containing divulge
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The couple said they later made the rounds, visiting friends and family to divulge their secret nuptials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Police said some of the victims were on their watch in connection with illegal activities, which they could not "divulge at the moment to protect investigations which have been launched".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Moderna and Merck will divulge the details on exactly how well the vaccine worked at a medical conference later this year, and the companies are hoping for U.S. approval next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Disney did not divulge a price for the commercial time, although reports said the company was seeking $10 million for a 30-second spot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
There was a murmur of agreement, and for a moment all present seemed to be considering whether or not it would be proper to divulge to me the tale concerning this local personage.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
He claims to have secured decisive concessions that he rarely divulges and promises a resolution to the crisis, causing markets to swing dramatically.
From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026
For their part, Buscemi and Thompson utilize the complementary power of stillness and the close-up to create a portrait of a woman who hears so much and divulges so little.
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
While Ohtani is planning to speak with reporters, the amount of information he actually divulges could be limited.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2024
This leaves national security interests at risk from a new class of insider threats: the unwitting leaker who uses chatbots to find much-needed connections and unintentionally divulges sensitive information along the way.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 17, 2023
There is a perfect understanding that any woman who divulges one syllable of what occurs at a meeting of the League will be instantly dropped from membership.
From What eight million women want by Rheta Childe Dorr
The authorities have not divulged which inmates had inhabited the luxury accommodation, nor said what will happen to them now.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Walter’s majority ownership share has not been publicly divulged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
The 65-year-old comedian divulged his 25 favourite moments as incompetent office manager Brent and delved into the inspiration behind some of his most memorable lines.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Grutman divulged how he thinks about building relationships, and the special experiences that accompany them, in the latest episode of The WSJ Money Interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“A Story of Love, Hatred and Man’s Greed for Gold. Based on the real facts as divulged by the startling confession of Burkhart.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Both OpenAI and Anthropic filed the S-1 “confidentially,” without divulging sensitive information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Tax preparers recognize that divulging personal finances can prove uncomfortable for clients.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
There's a sense of unease bubbling under this gentle indie rock song, as though singer Karly Hartzman is perpetually on the brink of divulging an uncomfortable truth.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
A much larger secret casts shadows between Sarah and Ethan: a diagnosis of her serious illness, which he inadvertently discovered when glancing at a pile of bills, and which she has avoided divulging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
That mulberry tree had stood outside my bedroom on Middlesex, never divulging its significance to me.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
