reveal

[ri-veel]

verb (used with object)

1. to make known; disclose; divulge.

   She hounded me into revealing what I knew.

   Synonyms: proclaim, announce, tell, impart, publish, unveil
   Antonyms: hide, conceal

2. to lay open to view; display; exhibit.

   Synonyms: proclaim, announce, tell, impart, publish, unveil
   Antonyms: hide, conceal

noun

1. 1. an act or instance of revealing; disclosure.

   2. an act or instance of showing or revealing something surprising for the first time.

      Stay tuned for the renovation's big reveal!

      The big reveal of the season was that the main character was the murderer.

2. Architecture.

   1. the part of the jamb of a window or door opening between the outer wall surface and the window or door frame.

   2. the whole jamb of an opening between the outer and inner surfaces of a wall.

3. the framework or edge of an automobile window.

reveal

/ rɪˈviːl /

verb

1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to disclose (a secret); divulge

2. to expose to view or show (something concealed)

3. (of God) to disclose (divine truths) either directly or through the medium of prophets, etc

noun

1. architect the vertical side of an opening in a wall, esp the side of a window or door between the frame and the front of the wall

Other Word Forms

• revealable adjective
• revealability noun
• revealableness noun
• revealedly adverb
• revealer noun
• revealingly adverb
• revealingness noun
• revelative adjective
• half-revealed adjective
• nonrevealing adjective
• prereveal verb (used with object)
• self-revealed adjective
• unrevealable adjective
• unrevealed adjective
• unrevealing adjective
• unrevealingly adverb
• revealment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reveal¹

First recorded in 1325–75; (verb) Middle English revelen, from Middle French reveler, from Latin revēlāre “to unveil” ( re-, veil ); reveal ( for defs. 4, 5 ) derivative of obsolete revale “to lower,” from Old French revaler ( re- re- + (a)valer “to lower,” verbal derivative of the phrase à val “down”; vale )

Word History and Origins

Origin of reveal¹

C14: from Old French reveler , from Latin revēlāre to unveil, from _re- + vēlum a _veil

Synonym Study

Reveal, disclose, divulge share the meaning of making known something previously concealed or secret. To reveal is to uncover as if by drawing away a veil: The fog lifted and revealed the harbor. To disclose is to lay open and thereby invite inspection: to disclose the plans of an organization. To divulge is to communicate, sometimes to a large number of people, what was at first intended to be private, confidential, or secret: to divulge the terms of a contract.

Example Sentences

Yahoo found critics online, and their argument seems to be that the outrage reveals more about media branding than substance.

Read more on Salon

According to Nishimura, "These findings reveal that the same stem cell population can follow antagonistic fates -- exhaustion or expansion -- depending on the type of stress and microenvironmental signals."

Read more on Science Daily

Their goal is to create a detailed anatomical and molecular atlas that reveals how these neural pathways are organized.

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A telescope's ability to reveal faint or distant objects depends on its size.

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The resulting images revealed deep fractures where the oceanic plate is snapping apart.

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Related Words

• acknowledge 
• admit 
• affirm 
• announce 
• concede 
• confess 
• declare 
• divulge 
• explain 
• expose 
• inform 
• publish 
• report 
• tell