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
-
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:
Some callers offer up to $15,000 at 8% interest, but the callers refuse to disclose fees upfront.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
In an emailed response to The Times, an unidentified Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that “for operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
The school said it couldn’t disclose the person’s name because charges haven’t been filed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 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
Supreme Court has long required that the prosecution disclose to the defendant anything that is exculpatory or that may be helpful to the defendant in impeaching a witness.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The WOW-funded campaign directly discloses that they oppose the billboard blight ballot initiative in financial filings with the California secretary of state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Few know the full extent of what the former first lady discloses in the book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
"It was a green tea," the singer discloses.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Disney no longer discloses its streaming subscriber totals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
My story discloses instead an essential myth of childhood—inevitable pain.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Uefa has asked Fifa to "clarify the nature, amount and basis of these payments, why they were not disclosed and whether they were reviewed and approved by the competent Fifa bodies."
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Capitol Police, which was disclosed Thursday in a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Privately held Vitol hasn’t disclosed financial results for the current year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
On top of that, CoreWeave CFO Nitin Agrawal disclosed in a Wednesday filing his recent sale of about $1.8 million worth of the company’s shares at prices near $80.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Her uncle should have disclosed that the air-conditioner didn’t work when he made the deal with me.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Thomas Blakey wrote that, ”importantly,” MongoDB stuck with its full-year forecast while disclosing the CEO transition.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Some creators say UGC campaign managers—often marketing contractors who are or were creators themselves—have discouraged them from disclosing their ads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
It added that delays by the MoD in disclosing information had also affected the timetable.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
His insight was reinforced by a demand from the Research Corporation’s Howard Poillon that he bring the X-ray tube to a patentable stage without delay and without disclosing his design to outsiders.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
