conceal

[ kuh n-seel ]

/ kənˈsil /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conceal ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of conceal

1275–1325; Middle English conselen, concelen < Anglo-French conceler < Latin concēlāre, equivalent to con- con- + cēlāre to hide (akin to hull¹, Greek koleón scabbard (see Coleoptera); cf. occult)

SYNONYMS FOR conceal

1 See hide¹.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conceal ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

con·ceal·a·ble, adjectivecon·ceal·a·bil·i·ty, nouncon·ceal·ed·ly, adverbcon·ceal·ed·ness, noun

con·ceal·er, nounhalf-con·cealed, adjectivehalf-con·ceal·ing, adjectivepre·con·ceal, verb (used with object)re·con·ceal, verb (used with object)sem·i·con·cealed, adjectivesub·con·cealed, adjectiveun·con·cealed, adjectiveun·con·ceal·ing, adjectiveun·con·ceal·ing·ly, adverbwell-con·cealed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for concealed

Kim Novak's heavy legs were concealed and all logic left on the cutting room floor.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The training hours should jump to 80 hours for a concealed carry permit.
A Navy Vet’s Case for Gun Control|Shawn VanDiver|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He also fell in love with an Iroquois girl and concealed her within his home, under the care of one of his slaves.
New York’s Scariest Night Out: The Ghosts, Rats, and Lunatics of ‘Nightmare New York’|Justin Jones|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Smiley, by contrast, knew exactly what mistakes he was making as he committed and concealed them.
The Million-Dollar Map Thief|Nick Romeo|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Typically most women carry their concealed firearms in their purses, the main target of thieves.
A Gun Owner Speaks: My Case for Open Carry|CJ Grisham|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Quickly, yet quietly, the three concealed themselves in a corner of the box car.
Secrets of the Andes|James H. Foster
Beneath this disguise was concealed a keen knowledge of art, combined with a ferocious skill in bargaining.
A Zola Dictionary|J. G. Patterson
The apparatus should be concealed and nothing but the box end or tube with the flowing water shown.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
I don't know how long he would have continued in this insulting vein, but he was interrupted by the concealed telephone.
Greener Than You Think|Ward Moore
It was Ralph, who had been on the watch for his brother half an hour, and, concealed himself just as he saw him approaching.
Oscar|Walter Aimwell

British Dictionary definitions for concealed

conceal

/ (kənˈsiːl) /

verb (tr)

to keep from discovery; hide

to keep secret

Derived Formsconcealable, adjectiveconcealer, nounconcealment, noun

Word Origin for conceal

C14: from Old French conceler, from Latin concēlāre, from com- (intensive) + cēlāre to hide

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

Word Origin and History for concealed

conceal

early 14c., concelen, from Old French conceler "to hide, conceal, dissimulate," from Latin concelare "to hide," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + celare "to hide," from PIE root *kel- "to hide" (see cell). Replaced Old English deagan. Related: Concealed; concealing.