unfold

[ uhn-fohld ]
See synonyms for: unfoldunfoldedunfolding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to bring out of a folded state; spread or open out: Unfold your arms.

  2. to spread out or lay open to view.

  1. to reveal or display.

  2. to reveal or disclose in words, especially by careful or systematic exposition; set forth; explain.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become unfolded; open.

  2. to develop.

  1. to become clear, apparent, or known: The protagonist's character unfolds as the story reaches its climax.

Origin of unfold

1
before 900; Middle English unfolden,Old English unfealdan; cognate with German entfalten.See un-2, fold1

Other words from unfold

  • un·fold·a·ble, adjective
  • un·fold·er, noun
  • un·fold·ment, noun

Words Nearby unfold

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

How to use unfold in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for unfold

unfold

/ (ʌnˈfəʊld) /


verb
  1. to open or spread out or be opened or spread out from a folded state

  2. to reveal or be revealed: the truth unfolds

  1. to develop or expand or be developed or expanded

Derived forms of unfold

  • unfolder, 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