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reveal

[ri-veel]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to make known; disclose; divulge: to reveal a secret.
  2. to lay open to view; display; exhibit.
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noun
  1. an act or instance of revealing; revelation; disclosure.
  2. Architecture.
    1. the part of the jamb of a window or door opening between the outer wall surface and the window or door frame.
    2. the whole jamb of an opening between the outer and inner surfaces of a wall.
  3. the framework or edge of an automobile window.
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Origin of reveal

1325–75; (v.) Middle English revelen < Middle French reveler < Latin revēlāre to unveil (see re-, veil); (in defs 4, 5) derivative of obsolete revale to lower < Old French revaler (re- re- + (a)valer to lower, verbal derivative of the phrase à val down; see vale)
Related formsre·veal·a·ble, adjectivere·veal·a·bil·i·ty, re·veal·a·ble·ness, nounre·veal·ed·ly [ri-vee-lid-lee, -veeld-] /rɪˈvi lɪd li, -ˈvild-/, adverbre·veal·er, nounre·veal·ing·ly, adverbre·veal·ing·ness, nounre·vel·a·tive [ri-vel-uh-tiv, rev-uh-ley-] /rɪˈvɛl ə tɪv, ˈrɛv əˌleɪ-/, adjectivehalf-re·vealed, adjectivenon·re·veal·ing, adjectivepre·re·veal, verb (used with object)self-re·vealed, adjectiveun·re·veal·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·vealed, adjectiveun·re·veal·ing, adjectiveun·re·veal·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for reveal on Thesaurus.com
1, 2. unveil, publish, impart, tell, announce, proclaim. Reveal, disclose, divulge share the meaning of making known something previously concealed or secret. To reveal is to uncover as if by drawing away a veil: The fog lifted and revealed the harbor. To disclose is to lay open and thereby invite inspection: to disclose the plans of an organization. To divulge is to communicate, sometimes to a large number of people, what was at first intended to be private, confidential, or secret: to divulge the terms of a contract.

Antonyms

1, 2. conceal, hide.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for reveal

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • There, I thought I'd reveal the distressing truth about myself while I had you at my mercy.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • If it reveal nothing to be done, there is nothing there for us.

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • The way seemed to reveal itself to her as they went, and they were soon at home.

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • If I be so, I am a traitor to the king should I reveal his secret.

    Leila, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • Now, Your Majesty, let me reveal to you the meaning of this mystery.

    Welsh Fairy Tales

    William Elliott Griffis

British Dictionary definitions for reveal

reveal

verb (tr)
  1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to disclose (a secret); divulge
  2. to expose to view or show (something concealed)
  3. (of God) to disclose (divine truths) either directly or through the medium of prophets, etc
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noun
  1. architect the vertical side of an opening in a wall, esp the side of a window or door between the frame and the front of the wall
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Derived Formsrevealable, adjectiverevealability, nounrevealer, nounrevealment, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old French reveler, from Latin revēlāre to unveil, from re- + vēlum a veil
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for reveal

v.

late 14c., from Old French reveler "reveal" (14c.), from Latin revelare "reveal, uncover, disclose," literally "unveil," from re- "opposite of" (see re-) + velare "to cover, veil," from velum "a veil" (see veil (n.)). Related: Revealed; revealing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper