disclosure

American  

[dih-skloh-zher] / dɪˈskloʊ ʒər /

noun

• disclosures
  plural

1. the act or an instance of disclosing; exposure; revelation.

2. that which is disclosed; a revelation.

3. Patent Law. (in a patent application) the descriptive information imparted by the specification claims, drawings, and models submitted.

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disclosure British  

/ dɪsˈkləʊʒə /

noun

1. something that is disclosed

2. the act of disclosing; revelation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondisclosure
  noun
• predisclosure
  noun
• self-disclosure
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disclosures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of disclosure

First recorded in 1590–1600; disclose + -ure

Compare meaning

How does disclosure compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• disclaimer vs. disclosure

Explanation

If you make a disclosure, you reveal information not previously known — either because it's new information or because it's been kept secret. Disclosure of new evidence at a trial could reveal that the accused is innocent of the crime. The noun disclosure derives from the Old French word desclos, meaning "open, exposed, plain, explicit." If you make a disclosure, you put something out in the open, usually information that was formally secret. After the disclosure of your huge credit card debt, your parents might make you get a job. The disclosure that nicotine is really addictive has motivated many people to quit smoking. The disclosure of one coworker's salary to another could lead to bitter jealousy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disclosure disclosures

Moving forward, the real policy challenge will revolve around transparency, the enforceability of existing laws and simply figuring out what type of disclosure would be helpful to voters.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

But the U.S. government frequently doesn’t require disclosure of fragrance ingredients because blends are often trade secrets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The disclosure said that payments from AmCham Myanmar’s accounts weren’t possible because of currency controls imposed by Myanmar’s government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Lee faced heavy criticism at home after Zelensky's disclosure.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Lawrence stunned his colleagues with the disclosure that the Rad Lab had isolated a microscopic quantity of U-235 on the very day before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The prosecution opposed the disclosures, saying they would have a "chilling effect" on the lone juror.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

In a section called Transparency, the agreement mandated annual reports to the city that are supposed to include a range of disclosures.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The company says it does not encourage customers to assume debt they cannot afford, provides disclosures explaining the risks of investing and has spent millions of dollars on compliance efforts.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The new disclosures came just days after Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that OpenAI agents had breached non-public files on the website of its government-run health care scheme, Medicare.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

I do not want it understood that the Catholic Church has advised me to make these public disclosures and confessions.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• acknowledgment
• admission
• confession
• discovery
• exposure
• leak
• publication