conceal

[ kuhn-seel ]

See synonyms for: conceal concealed concealing conceals 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.

Origin of conceal

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

synonym study For conceal

1. See hide¹.

Other words from conceal

con·ceal·a·ble, adjective
con·ceal·a·bil·i·ty, noun
con·ceal·ed·ly, adverb
con·ceal·ed·ness, noun
con·ceal·er, noun
half-con·cealed, adjective
half-con·ceal·ing, adjective
pre·con·ceal, verb (used with object)
re·con·ceal, verb (used with object)
sem·i·con·cealed, adjective
sub·con·cealed, adjective
un·con·cealed, adjective
un·con·ceal·ing, adjective
un·con·ceal·ing·ly, adverb
well-con·cealed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conceal in a sentence

In a widely seen video, Seahawks General Manager John Schneider and Pete Carroll called Metcalf, who had concealed his emotions for two days.
Seahawks star DK Metcalf is impossible to miss. So how did the NFL miss on him? | Adam Kilgore | November 6, 2020 | Washington Post
Small in size, the Safavieh tables still pack a decent amount of concealed storage.
The best bedside tables for your bedroom | PopSci Commerce Team | October 29, 2020 | Popular-Science
Koschei is supposed to have hidden his evil soul in the tip of a needle concealed in an egg inside a duck that flies away when pursued.
Preserving a Sense of Wonder in DNA - Issue 92: Frontiers | Virat Markandeya | October 28, 2020 | Nautilus
In one new paper, researchers used previous knowledge about the moon’s surface to build a 3-D computer model of the orb, and have detected what they think are tiny shadows that may conceal pockets of billion-year-old ice.
New 3D moon models show it might hold up to 15,000 miles of frozen water | Kat Eschner | October 27, 2020 | Popular-Science
Back to Padre Giulio … if the girls were disappointed by the headmaster’s order, they did a decent job of concealing it.
Global stocks fall, dollar rises as stimulus talks fade and COVID cases spike | Bernhard Warner | October 26, 2020 | Fortune

Our mockery of celebworld helps us evade the soul-crushing decadence concealed within.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack | James Poulos | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
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 | THE DAILY BEAST
His treachery, however, had been skillfully concealed for years.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero | Clive Irving | November 29, 2014 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEAST
In nearly everything they left behind, the family concealed its domestic arrangements.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine | Tom Arnold-Forster | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
No doubt these very batteries are now getting back into concealed positions where our ships' guns will not be able to find them.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
"It will go through, if I live," calmly replied Harry, as he carefully concealed the message in the lining of his coat.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
But the strange mystery, the secret that lies concealed within its organization, is realized by but few.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
Why did he not exercise more precaution when investigating anything so suspicious as a concealed fire?
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
“I have been concealed in the next room, sir, since you returned,” explained Mr. Snodgrass.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for conceal

conceal

/ (kənˈsiːl) /

verb(tr)

to keep from discovery; hide
to keep secret

Origin of conceal

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

Derived forms of conceal

concealable, adjective
concealer, noun
concealment, noun

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

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