Synonyms

conceal

American

[kuhn-seel] / kənˈsil /

verb (used with object)

to hide; withdraw or remove from observation; cover or keep from sight.

He concealed the gun under his coat.
to keep secret; to prevent or avoid disclosing or divulging.

to conceal one's identity by using a false name.

conceal British

/ kənˈsiːl /

verb

to keep from discovery; hide
to keep secret

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See hide ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of conceal

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English conselen, concelen, from Anglo-French conceler from Latin concēlāre, from con- con- + cēlāre “to hide” ( see also hull ¹)

Explanation

When you conceal something, you are keeping it from being discovered: “To avoid another argument with his cousins, Jonathan worked hard to conceal his disappointment at the outcome of the race.” The verb conceal can be used to describe the hiding of feelings (as in “to conceal anger”) or facts (as in “to conceal identity”). Conceal also can be used to describe the act of hiding or covering an item to prevent discovery. If you eat the last piece of chocolate cake, for example, you may want to conceal the evidence by removing the icing-stained plate from your room.

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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:

conceal conceals concealed concealing

Former lovers, they cannot conceal from themselves or each other the depth of their old attachment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Ms. ffitch does not conceal her personal sympathies—it’s safe to assume she is not on the side of the white supremacists—but she isn’t preachy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

From today, police and community protection officers will be able to ask people to remove coverings if they "reasonably believe" they are being used to conceal their identity to commit crime or anti-social behaviour.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Hampshire Police said Timothy Miller, 76, of Sherwood Avenue in Hedge End was charged with wearing or using an item to conceal identity at a protest.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

The sweetness did not quite conceal a taste of disinfectant.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Taiwan, once widely known as Formosa, conceals a remarkable natural world within its steep and rugged interior.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

The presidency is a skin suit that barely conceals this ambition.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

This feels like a benefit because it conceals from patients the true cost of their care, while its shortcomings relative to other countries are noticeable only to policy nerds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

Heusinger’s James has a seductive earnestness that conceals some shocking character developments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

The wounds Snow made, snow conceals, but that was wrong.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Asymmetric's report found, however, that the agents opened private accounts on a website analytics service, which concealed their searches, and created temporary email inboxes, one of which was set to self-delete after 48 hours.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Kyaw, in a written response to questions, denied he concealed the contract.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

However, a tribunal said on Thursday, external that the most serious instances of misconduct in the charity "were concealed" from Campbell by a fellow trustee.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Later observations from the UCR team have provided an unusually close look at the social behavior that may help substances move through these concealed colonies.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

A concealed vent, cunningly let into the real wall, allowed air to enter from outside.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

In 1998, Max was sentenced to community service teaching art in Harlem and a $30,000 fine after prosecutors charged him with concealing $714,000 in income from art sales between 1988 and 1991.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Some of the previously unreported incidents included models concealing or fabricating information, the ChatGPT-maker said in a blog post on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Instead of exposed ice, they resemble sprawling fields of loose rock, while potentially concealing large quantities of ice below the surface.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

By concealing internal deliberation to enforce societal compliance, the state transformed biopolitical management into a performance of infallible authority.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

He rips at reality and tears aside concealing veils.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023