disclose
Americanverb (used with object)
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discloses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disclosed,
past participle, past
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disclosing
present participle
noun
verb
-
to make (information) known
-
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
-
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:
Agencies have to disclose their plans in advance, gathering public comment.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Every institution receiving federal funds should be required to disclose the full racial and statistical profile of applicants, admitted students and matriculants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Only he can say for sure, but his companies are under federal investigation for failing to disclose and properly account for billions of dollars of loans among related entities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
After speculation about his health during this summer's World Cup, the Messi family issued a statement saying he was dealing with a "health-related situation" but did not disclose the nature of his condition.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The British disclose actual losses, whereas the RRG never does.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
"It was a green tea," the singer discloses.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Neither country publicly discloses how many combatants they have lost, but think tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimate that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been killed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Not all of the insider trades he discloses are buys and sales that pay him cash, however.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Gibson’s character C Hemingway on Fox’s “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” is also trans, something he discloses at work as a forensic anthropologist reconstructing the faces of people disappeared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
My story discloses instead an essential myth of childhood—inevitable pain.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Tarling's death is the first in a road race in 2026 and the full circumstances are yet to be disclosed.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
In an email seen by the BBC, Brittan wrote to senior officers saying her email address had "been disclosed to 42 other survivors, and I have likewise been given access to their email addresses".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
While Adyen hadn’t formally upgraded guidance, it had disclosed the Talon.One and Orb deals would contribute to its top-line growth, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
During his 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney disclosed that his IRA held as much as $101 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Decent people everywhere were affronted, and Milo was all washed up untn he opened his books to the public and disclosed the tremendous profit he had made.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
In disclosing the incident, it is following in the footsteps of those before it.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Taylor, OpenAI’s board chair, has said that Altman has been transparent in disclosing potential conflicts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Maybe there are a lot of companies like Costco out there that are hiding the ball when it comes to disclosing AI impact.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
"This is the first Amazon Leo agreement of this kind in Africa," the company said, without disclosing financial terms.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
We greatly appreciate your interest and would enjoy your disclosing further clues to us if you find them.
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
