declassify

[dee-klas-uh-fahy]

verb (used with object)

declassified, declassifying 

1. to remove the classification from (information, a document, etc.) that restricts access in terms of secrecy, confidentiality, etc.

declassify

/ diːˈklæsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to release (a document or information) from the security list

Other Word Forms

• declassifiable adjective
• declassification noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of declassify¹

First recorded in 1860–65; de- + classify

Example Sentences

When she's not combing through declassified documents, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and bird watching with her two boys.

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While some FBI files and Navy search reports have been declassified over the decades, some records have remained inaccessible, fuelling speculation about a cover-up.

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A declassified memo produced by the Office of Director of National Intelligence found no evidence of widespread cooperation between his regime and the gang.

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The debate over Russiagate was reinvigorated last week when an appendix to another justice department investigation into the affair was declassified.

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The director batted away the question with a non-answer: “The evidence and the intelligence that has been declassified and released is irrefutable.”

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Related Words

• publicize