reveal
Americanverb (used with object)
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reveals,
present (3rd person singular)
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revealed,
past participle, past
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revealing
present participle
noun
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reveals
plural
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an act or instance of revealing; disclosure.
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an act or instance of showing or revealing something surprising for the first time.
Stay tuned for the renovation's big reveal!
The big reveal of the season was that the main character was the murderer.
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Architecture.
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the part of the jamb of a window or door opening between the outer wall surface and the window or door frame.
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the whole jamb of an opening between the outer and inner surfaces of a wall.
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the framework or edge of an automobile window.
verb
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(may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to disclose (a secret); divulge
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to expose to view or show (something concealed)
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(of God) to disclose (divine truths) either directly or through the medium of prophets, etc
noun
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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revealabilitynoun
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revealablenessnoun
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revealernoun
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revealingnessnoun
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revealmentnoun
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prerevealverb (used with object)
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half-revealedadjective
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nonrevealingadjective
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revealableadjective
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revelativeadjective
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self-revealedadjective
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unrevealableadjective
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unrevealedadjective
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unrevealingadjective
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revealedlyadverb
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revealinglyadverb
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unrevealinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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revealsimple
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revealssimple
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have revealedperfect
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has revealedperfect
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am revealingprogressive
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are revealingprogressive
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is revealingprogressive
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have been revealingperfect progressive
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has been revealingperfect progressive
Past
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revealedsimple
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had revealedperfect
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was revealingprogressive
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were revealingprogressive
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had been revealingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reveal
First recorded in 1325–75; (verb) Middle English revelen, from Middle French reveler, from Latin revēlāre “to unveil” ( re-, veil ); reveal ( for defs. 4, 5 ) derivative of obsolete revale “to lower,” from Old French revaler ( re- re- + (a)valer “to lower,” verbal derivative of the phrase à val “down”; see vale)
Explanation
When you make something visible or make it public information, you reveal it. For example, if you want to plan a picnic, wait until forecasters reveal the weather that is predicted. The verb reveal comes from the Latin word revelare meaning "unveil," like when you take off your hat to reveal your new haircut, or when you reveal information about your past that will shock or amuse your friends. You might also be familiar with the noun form of reveal, makeover show-speak for the moment viewers see the newly renovated room or someone's dramatic new look, as in saving the reveal for the end of the show so people keep watching.
Vocabulary lists containing reveal
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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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:
By 2007, I couldn't keep covering up my stumbling with excuses and so felt I had to reveal my diagnosis.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
"The cell phone data we used was made available to researchers during the pandemic to help reveal the impacts of COVID-19 shutdowns," said co-lead author Scott Yanco, a research ecologist at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Then, with the foreboding intro and the tapping heel of a bedazzled platform pump, the delicious reveal of Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter singing “Sweet Transvestite” cemented that this experience would bond us for life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
But the glass on vitrines is nonreflective; lighting is state of the art; and windows, once masked by curtains, now reveal the landscape, thanks to UV-filtering film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
She'd open and shut her eyes, letting the objects reveal their true selves, the strings of matter that made them.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
But looking past the daily torrent of alarming headlines reveals another story worth telling.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Investing in someone builds capacity and reveals how much capacity there is to build.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
BBC DJ Trevor Nelson reveals brain tumour surgery 'went well'
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Research reveals about half of Australian households feed wild birds, with many people doing so daily.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
“When I engulfed you, your heart spoke out and caused the sands around you to move and shift. This sand painting reveals your inner being. Now I can assess.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
On Thursday, sources with familiar with the company revealed to The Information that Anthropic plans to launch the bookrunning process after the Labor Day weekend.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
A podcast series in 2022 then revealed the full extent of the campaign.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Shelley Fabares’ cause of death has been revealed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Authorities also have filed criminal charges against a Google software engineer, Michele Spagnuolo, who allegedly earned $1.2 million trading Polymarket contracts pegged to who would be revealed as the most searched people of 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Ye’ve revealed yer treasure to a mad-hungry pirate!”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
“Boorman and the Devil” is a funny, surprising, revealing and altogether fascinating document, bursting with crazy details about gonzo 1970s filmmaking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Parton had canceled a planned Las Vegas engagement in May 2026, revealing that she was being treated for kidney stones as well as other undisclosed digestive and immune ailments.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
They may provide a useful high-level description of behavior without revealing the physical mechanisms producing it.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
HBO teased Harington’s casting on Instagram, revealing he will play Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
The most revealing feature in this compromise motif is that on each issue, both sides could plausibly believe they had gotten the best of the bargain.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
