unfold

[uhn-fohld]

verb (used with object)

1. to bring out of a folded state; spread or open out.

   Unfold your arms.

2. to spread out or lay open to view.

3. to reveal or display.

4. to reveal or disclose in words, especially by careful or systematic exposition; set forth; explain.

verb (used without object)

1. to become unfolded; open.

2. to develop.

3. to become clear, apparent, or known.

   The protagonist's character unfolds as the story reaches its climax.

unfold

/ ʌnˈfəʊld /

verb

1. to open or spread out or be opened or spread out from a folded state

2. to reveal or be revealed

   the truth unfolds

3. to develop or expand or be developed or expanded

Other Word Forms

• unfoldable adjective
• unfolder noun
• unfoldment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unfold¹

before 900; Middle English unfolden, Old English unfealdan; cognate with German entfalten. See un- ², fold ¹

Example Sentences

Even one of the most thrilling games in the club’s recent memory, a 3-3 draw in the Champions League semifinal against Inter, had to unfold at Barça’s home away from home.

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Along with tens of millions across America and hundreds of millions across the globe, I watched this event unfold on television.

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But desperate circumstances and a growing sympathy unite them, and the novel unfolds the quest for survival they undertake once their fortunes converge.

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How economic policy will unfold under a new administration and what that means for the BOT remains unclear.

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“On tariffs, the full effect is still to unfold,” she said.

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Related Words

• illustrate 
• resolve 
• reveal 
• solve 
• unravel