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
-
undivulgedadjective
-
undivulgingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
divulgesimple
-
divulgessimple
-
have divulgedperfect
-
has divulgedperfect
-
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:
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
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
Bolter declined to divulge more about his conversation with the FBI, which has not been previously reported, but allegations from Bolter’s 2020 affidavit were central to some conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
It wouldn’t be fair to divulge its details to those who are unfamiliar with the grisly tale, because it provides “Kenrex” with a dramatically, not to mention emotionally, satisfying conclusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
After having sent him embarrassing fan mail when he was eleven—not that he was about to divulge that piece of information to Dimple.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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
In one of the more heart-breaking scenes, actress Vivian divulges that she fled to Ethiopia from Eritrea, a neighbouring country that enforces indefinite military conscription for all able-bodied citizens.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2025
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
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
And it seems that he robbed for the lucre itself, as the most careful inquiry divulges no stain upon his private life.
From The Midnight Passenger : a novel by Richard Savage
A few stopped to chat, but appeared careful about what they divulged.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Each family is believed to have received between $2.5 million and $3 million, but exact amounts have not been divulged because of a nondisclosure agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Arm Holdings just divulged a new figure related to its plans to start making central processing units.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Ankara in 2012 reportedly divulged to Iran the identities of up to 10 Iranian citizens who were spying for Israel and gathering information on Iran’s nuclear-weapons program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
The alleged secrets of mediumship were divulged in booklets, often written by working magicians.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The Salvadoran breakfast blended the two, a stage outside the U.S. spotlight, with Suozzi navigating the overlap awkwardly as he and his fellows sang The Fellowship’s praises, without naming it or divulging many details.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
After unwisely divulging the unseemly conversation to Ruth, Leigh moves to defense: “He’s not an adult. He’s an actor.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Tax preparers recognize that divulging personal finances can prove uncomfortable for clients.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
Sophie had not told her parents or her real counsellor the true extent of her mental health struggle but was divulging far more to her chatbot called 'Harry' that told her she was brave.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
Clearly she’d kept her own secrets for this long, why would she start divulging now?
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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.
