disclose
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
to make (information) known
-
to allow to be seen; lay bare
Synonym Usage
See reveal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disclosesimple
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disclosessimple
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have disclosedperfect
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has disclosedperfect
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are disclosingprogressive
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am disclosingprogressive
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is disclosingprogressive
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have been disclosingperfect progressive
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has been disclosingperfect progressive
Past
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disclosedsimple
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had disclosedperfect
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was disclosingprogressive
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were disclosingprogressive
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had been disclosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disclose
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English disclosen, desclosen, from Old French desclos-, stem of desclore, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + clore “to close,” from Latin claudere; see close
Explanation
Disclose means to reveal or expose information that has previously been kept a secret — like a politician might be forced to disclose his finances or former scandals while running for office. When a politician, corporate executive, or celebrity announces that he or she has something to disclose, the public listens. They know that the information they're about to hear was kept secret for a reason. Something incriminating or juicy is about to be revealed, like a secret affair or plummeting company profits.
Vocabulary lists containing disclose
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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A Christmas Carol
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The Launch of Sputnik 1
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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.
Disclose your credit score, credit-card balances, student loans and any major past financial events, like bankruptcies.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
Disclose said that French authorities under the presidencies of President François Hollande and President Emmanuel Macron were "constantly informed" of the developments by staff at "several military departments", but that their concerns were ignored.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2023
Disclose, which had previously reported on other confidential dealings between Paris and Cairo, two years ago published dozens of classified documents which it said showed the misuse of intelligence provided to Egypt.
From Reuters • Sep. 19, 2023
The California Disclose Act, which passed the California Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support, requires political advertisements to list the top three donors of $50,000 or more.
From The Guardian • Nov. 8, 2017
My shafts shall rend the serpents curled In caverns of the watery world, Disclose each sunless depth and bare The tangled pearl and coral there.
From The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Griffith, Ralph T. H. (Ralph Thomas Hotchkin)
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.
