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:
Though different in cause, the two accidents reveal deeper, systemic shortcomings in Spain’s rail safety systems, where investment in modernization and maintenance have drifted since the boom years that saw its networks quickly expand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The Lucas Museum declined to reveal its percentage of native plants, but native plant experts estimate it doesn’t clear either threshold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
In their filmmaking, Schoenbrun sometimes struggles to apply broader themes within a minute-to-minute narrative, creating pacing issues that reveal a dissonance between intention and execution.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
Jupiter's additional shock structures reveal a more complicated process for managing the energy carried by solar particles.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Hold on. Your wand didn’t reveal that that one there got the Glow. How he see that Cleo got horns without a wand of his own?”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Elsewhere, the paper reveals the high street giant Poundland is on the "brink of declaring insolvency", even as Healey attempts to help struggling businesses and households, the paper writes.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The discovery reveals a missing chapter in the region's geological history and offers new clues about the powerful tectonic forces that shaped ancient oceans and continents.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Swiping up from the bottom edge reveals the dock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Here’s what “You Can See Everything” reveals about Holmes and Evans’ finances, and what it leaves unanswered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
It also revealed earlier this week plans to cut thousands of workers, which will further reduce the company's costs.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Last month, the New York Times revealed that Marshall, a former OB-GYN, had sued hundreds of patients over unpaid bills, including new mothers.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
The summit register revealed roughly 40 names scribbled over the past decade, or what amounts to three or four people annually.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Simply Good’s self-diagnostic also revealed the company was focusing too heavily on the lower funnel at the expense of branding in social media, on streaming TV and with influencers, according to Scalzo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
But then a pre-raising inspection of the sunken vessel revealed that most of the nails in the planks inside the ship had corroded during the more than four hundred years it had been submerged.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Elon Musk is a "real genius", Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday after revealing the two are in "close" contact about satellite technology.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Even more revealing was the timing of these genetic changes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s film isn’t the first nonfictional chronicle of Elizabeth Holmes’ enigmatic psyche, but it is the most revealing.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
The family also shared a screenshot on Instagram revealing the sports league had issued them a refund.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The children each nimbly seized a burning candle from one of the lit candelabras and used it to light all the rest, revealing two entirely unexpected sights.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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