disclose
Americanverb (used with object)
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discloses,
present (3rd person singular)
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disclosed,
past participle, past
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disclosing
present participle
noun
verb
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to make (information) known
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to allow to be seen; lay bare
Synonym Usage
See reveal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disclosesimple
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disclosessimple
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have disclosedperfect
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has disclosedperfect
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am disclosingprogressive
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are disclosingprogressive
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is disclosingprogressive
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have been disclosingperfect progressive
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has been disclosingperfect progressive
Past
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disclosedsimple
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had disclosedperfect
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was disclosingprogressive
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were disclosingprogressive
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had been disclosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disclose
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English disclosen, desclosen, from Old French desclos-, stem of desclore, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + clore “to close,” from Latin claudere; see close
Explanation
Disclose means to reveal or expose information that has previously been kept a secret — like a politician might be forced to disclose his finances or former scandals while running for office. When a politician, corporate executive, or celebrity announces that he or she has something to disclose, the public listens. They know that the information they're about to hear was kept secret for a reason. Something incriminating or juicy is about to be revealed, like a secret affair or plummeting company profits.
Vocabulary lists containing disclose
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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A Christmas Carol
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The Launch of Sputnik 1
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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:
The senators’ letters ask State Farm, Allstate and others to disclose the breakdown of home and auto claims they have closed without payment, including how many were formally denied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Alito did not disclose what the conflict was that was his reason for recusing.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
There are no requirements for you to disclose your salary if you don't want to.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
So every time you disclose, every time you open up certain difficulties, I think that’s when you allow people in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As he lay bound upon the rock in agony, Zeus sent his messenger, Hermes, to bid him disclose the secret.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The City Council’s committee on the Olympics heard about the insurance request Wednesday and also got an update on the dispute with LA28 over what the group discloses in its annual reports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It discloses limited information about its ownership, but says it has been controlled since 2019 by Europe-based investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Plus, Tesla considers sale of China business and Anthropic discloses that its software hacked three companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"It was a green tea," the singer discloses.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
The record, however, discloses Alvarez’s testimony to be an ill-disguised act of score settling.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Details of the extended hours have not yet been disclosed.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The honorees and a broadcaster for the program will be disclosed at a later date.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Nidec earlier this month also disclosed an independent investigation report that identified a series of issues such as falsification and fabrication of testing and inspection results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
OpenAI disclosed over the weekend that its agents had also reached the websites of three US federal agencies, after acknowledging last week that they had tried to access an Australian government site.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
I disclosed no such Suspicion, but said to him simply, “Slavery & Subjugation shall soon enough fall away, sir.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
By building a large group trust, officials were able to avoid concerns about disclosing taxpayer’s financial information of taxpayers in the everyday operations of the accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
It added that delays by the MoD in disclosing information had also affected the timetable.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Commission members are not considered government employees and thus not required to file an ethics form disclosing conflicts.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Rand report concluded that companies are disclosing less information about programs for veterans, suggesting that the programs themselves have likely shrunk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
I tried in vain to hear whether Mrs. Maroney was disclosing her secrets about her own wayward husband.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
