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
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undivulgingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
divulgesimple
-
divulgessimple
-
have divulgedperfect
-
has divulgedperfect
-
am divulgingprogressive
-
are divulgingprogressive
-
is divulgingprogressive
-
have been divulgingperfect progressive
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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:
Locke is reluctant to divulge his own interpretation of the characters’ future, preferring instead to let viewers make sense of the hopeful ending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
“In essence, xAI equates asking a candidate about their prior work experience with encouraging the candidate to divulge trade secrets obtained during that prior work experience,” Lin said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 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
He promised to "never divulge anything" marked as "sensitive" information or even that he knew such information.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Papá began, his voice suddenly full of emotion, and I felt kind of sorry for him because I knew what he was about to divulge.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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
Born in the southwestern England hamlet of Newton Abbot — which Mylod divulges was once voted “the fifth most boring town in Britain” — the 58-year-old experienced a nomadic upbringing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
She comes back to Europe, visits under a false name the town in which her faithless husband and his bride are living, discovers the truth and divulges the intended crime to the authorities.
From A Book of Remarkable Criminals by Irving, Henry Brodribb
Arm Holdings just divulged a new figure related to its plans to start making central processing units.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Last year his family divulged that Mueller had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for several years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
He has not divulged the reasons behind the change in any depth, but took satisfaction from triumphing in Melbourne given all the speculation beforehand.
From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026
Turner said CalRecycle will conduct a 15-day comment period — although when that begins has not yet been divulged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 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
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.
