conceal
Americanverb (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.
verb
-
to keep from discovery; hide
-
to keep secret
Related Words
See hide 1.
Other Word Forms
- concealability noun
- concealable adjective
- concealedly adverb
- concealedness noun
- concealer noun
- concealment noun
- half-concealed adjective
- half-concealing adjective
- preconceal verb (used with object)
- reconceal verb (used with object)
- semiconcealed adjective
- subconcealed adjective
- unconcealed adjective
- unconcealing adjective
- unconcealingly adverb
- well-concealed adjective
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” ( hull 1 )
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.
But instead, Company-1 would repackage the servers with the help of a separate logistics firm and conceal them in unmarked boxes before shipping them to China, the DOJ said.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
“These defendants allegedly fabricated documents, staged bogus equipment to pass audit inventories, and used a pass-through company to conceal their misconduct and true clientele list,” federal prosecutors said.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026
Others have passed through with their transponders switched off to conceal their position, sometimes only reappearing on marine trackers once safely out of the area.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
Millett noted that Thaler hadn’t bothered to conceal the non-human origin of “A Recent Entrance,” acknowledging in court papers that the painting “lacks human authorship.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
Burt employed bizarre accounting methods in order to conceal his fleecing of the Osage.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
