disclose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
discloses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disclosed,
past participle, past
-
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
-
disclosesimple
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disclosessimple
-
have disclosedperfect
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has disclosedperfect
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am disclosingprogressive
-
are disclosingprogressive
-
is disclosingprogressive
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have been disclosingperfect progressive
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has been disclosingperfect progressive
Past
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disclosedsimple
-
had disclosedperfect
-
was disclosingprogressive
-
were disclosingprogressive
-
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:
At Wednesday’s hearing, Dwayne Jones, LA28’s senior vice president for the Cultural Olympiad and stakeholder events, did not disclose a precise cultural budget or how much funding had been secured.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The FBI didn’t disclose the individual locations that received the mailings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
He has refused to disclose the targets he has set himself, but Arteta welcomed Saka's response following his message to do more in front of goal.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The department did not disclose the scope of the investigation or what agents were seeking.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
So, cautioning myself to allow the rat scene to disclose only Bigger, his family, their little room, and their relationships, I let the rat walk in, and he did his stuff.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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
Neither Moscow nor Kyiv discloses the total number of foreign soldiers in their ranks.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
While Microsoft discloses figures for finance leases, adding them to the cash paid for property and equipment doesn’t tie out to the $145.3 billion total, and the company provides no reconciliation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Few know the full extent of what the former first lady discloses in the book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
My story discloses instead an essential myth of childhood—inevitable pain.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Blue Owl disclosed in August that roughly 10% of the loans still in the fund were in default and another 20% were underperforming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
These numbers don’t even account for third-quarter sums that have yet to be disclosed.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The amount of the planned investment was not disclosed, but Huang said at a press conference in Paris that Nvidia invested at least $8 billion in Europe last year.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
The company disclosed that 69% of its Medicare Advantage members are in health plans deemed high quality by the government, a percentage that it described as “in line with expectations.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The headlights disclosed a lane of Chinese elms; bundles of wind-blown thistle scurried across it.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Without disclosing who he will vote for, the 47-year-old chainsaw operator praised the harmony between Catholics and evangelicals.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
One employee had been working and living in Idaho since late 2020 without disclosing that information to the agency, according to IP address records examined by the state auditor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
It also revoked Ávila’s visa, without disclosing the reason.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
It added that delays by the MoD in disclosing information had also affected the timetable.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Then slowly the cloud settled, disclosing a large black and grey Dolphin with a young one at her side.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
