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
-
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:
Grynkewich's intervention looks unlikely to divulge many new details on NATO's strategy and is intended to both send a signal to Moscow and reassure members on the alliance's eastern flank.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
They said they rarely pay thought to how much confidential information they divulge and upload.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 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
They entered a legally binding agreement which the BBC will not divulge the details of.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 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
The cook, author and TV personality divulges her secret ingredient and other cooking tips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
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
Someone who divulges the details of her real estate portfolio in lieu of exchanging pleasantries.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2024
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 Henry Brodribb Irving
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
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
Like Sandy June’s location, Fireball news was all word of mouth, divulged with the greatest of discretion.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Tax preparers recognize that divulging personal finances can prove uncomfortable for clients.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
California State University has settled a lawsuit with its faculty union that restricts the university from divulging personal information to federal agencies investigating antisemitism on campus without the employee’s knowledge, union leaders said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 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
The arrests of Billups and Rozier put to bed another notion pushed by proponents: that the athletes to watch are the low-paid ones living on the fringes, who might be seduced into divulging inside info.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
That mulberry tree had stood outside my bedroom on Middlesex, never divulging its significance to me.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
