reveal

[ ri-veel ]
See synonyms for: revealrevealedrevealingreveals on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to make known; disclose; divulge: to reveal a secret.

  2. to lay open to view; display; exhibit.

noun
  1. an act or instance of revealing; revelation; disclosure.

  2. Architecture.

    • the part of the jamb of a window or door opening between the outer wall surface and the window or door frame.

    • the whole jamb of an opening between the outer and inner surfaces of a wall.

  1. the framework or edge of an automobile window.

Origin of reveal

1
First recorded in 1325–75; (verb) Middle English revelen, from Middle French reveler, from Latin revēlāre “to unveil” (see re-, veil); (in defs. 4, 5) derivative of obsolete revale “to lower,” from Old French revaler (re-re- + (a)valer “to lower,” verbal derivative of the phrase à val “down”; see vale)

synonym study For reveal

1, 2. Reveal, disclose, divulge share the meaning of making known something previously concealed or secret. To reveal is to uncover as if by drawing away a veil: The fog lifted and revealed the harbor. To disclose is to lay open and thereby invite inspection: to disclose the plans of an organization. To divulge is to communicate, sometimes to a large number of people, what was at first intended to be private, confidential, or secret: to divulge the terms of a contract.

Other words for reveal

Opposites for reveal

Other words from reveal

  • re·veal·a·ble, adjective
  • re·veal·a·bil·i·ty, re·veal·a·ble·ness, noun
  • re·veal·ed·ly [ri-vee-lid-lee, -veeld-], /rɪˈvi lɪd li, -ˈvild-/, adverb
  • re·veal·er, noun
  • re·veal·ing·ly, adverb
  • re·veal·ing·ness, noun
  • re·vel·a·tive [ri-vel-uh-tiv, rev-uh-ley-], /rɪˈvɛl ə tɪv, ˈrɛv əˌleɪ-/, adjective
  • half-re·vealed, adjective
  • non·re·veal·ing, adjective
  • pre·re·veal, verb (used with object)
  • self-re·vealed, adjective
  • un·re·veal·a·ble, adjective
  • un·re·vealed, adjective
  • un·re·veal·ing, adjective
  • un·re·veal·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby reveal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use reveal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reveal

reveal

/ (rɪˈviːl) /


verb(tr)
  1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to disclose (a secret); divulge

  2. to expose to view or show (something concealed)

  1. (of God) to disclose (divine truths) either directly or through the medium of prophets, etc

noun
  1. architect the vertical side of an opening in a wall, esp the side of a window or door between the frame and the front of the wall

Origin of reveal

1
C14: from Old French reveler, from Latin revēlāre to unveil, from re- + vēlum a veil

Derived forms of reveal

  • revealable, adjective
  • revealability, noun
  • revealer, noun
  • revealment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012