unfold
Americanverb (used with object)
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unfolds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unfolded,
past participle, past
-
unfolding
present participle
-
to bring out of a folded state; spread or open out.
Unfold your arms.
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to spread out or lay open to view.
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to reveal or display.
-
to reveal or disclose in words, especially by careful or systematic exposition; set forth; explain.
verb (used without object)
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unfolds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unfolded,
past participle, past
-
unfolding
present participle
-
to become unfolded; open.
-
to develop.
-
to become clear, apparent, or known.
The protagonist's character unfolds as the story reaches its climax.
verb
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to open or spread out or be opened or spread out from a folded state
-
to reveal or be revealed
the truth unfolds
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to develop or expand or be developed or expanded
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unfoldsimple
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unfoldssimple
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have unfoldedperfect
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has unfoldedperfect
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am unfoldingprogressive
-
are unfoldingprogressive
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is unfoldingprogressive
-
have been unfoldingperfect progressive
-
has been unfoldingperfect progressive
Past
-
unfoldedsimple
-
had unfoldedperfect
-
was unfoldingprogressive
-
were unfoldingprogressive
-
had been unfoldingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unfold
before 900; Middle English unfolden, Old English unfealdan; cognate with German entfalten. See un- 2, fold 1
Explanation
To unfold is to open or reveal, the way a small square of paper might unfold into a large map, or the way the plot of a mystery novel can unfold into a clear picture of who the killer is. Anything that's folded or compacted unfolds as it opens up and stretches out. So a yoga teacher might curl into a tight ball and then unfold his limbs, stretching them wide. Or you might unfold a tightly sealed secret note or a gently creased letter from your grandparents. Information can unfold figuratively, too, or become more open and clear: "As the details of the crime began to unfold, the detective got ready to make an arrest."
Vocabulary lists containing unfold
"Play Ball!"
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 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:
The exhibition’s 11 sections unfold not chronologically, but more in the manner of evolution on earth, moving from simple and crystalline to complex and fleshed out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The sisters watched their father’s career unfold in front of them as they played on his studio floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He didn’t grasp its weight until a middle school teacher described watching the attacks unfold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Several episodes show how differently the danger can unfold.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
I unfold the paper and read the handwritten note.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
To judge a war as it unfolds is risky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
There unfolds a somewhat Wodehousian investigation involving undercover spies and scheming holdovers from Oswald Mosley’s disgraced fascist party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
McLaughlin’s most notable change concerns the frame of the play, which now unfolds in a disaster relief center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
This all unfolds next to four or so men casting their fishing rods into the increasingly choppy waters.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Yes! You ever been? It’s amazing, the way a story unfolds on a screen. Oh, I love it so much.”
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
This is the story of how that "challenging" week unfolded.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
All this unfolded against considerable noise from commenters on Kelley’s Military Times interview on the Lincoln deployment.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Scientists are still working to understand exactly how its volcanic history unfolded and how those early processes produced the world we see today.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Our favorite games unfolded beneath the dining table; at times, we transformed it into a bus, traveling to unfamiliar places, as we took turns playing different roles: the driver, the passenger, and the ticket officer.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
Frankie slid open the box and unfolded the receipt tucked inside.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
The judges on the panel seemed unsure of Louisiana’s standing argument and unconvinced that the court should immediately give Louisiana what it wants while the FDA’s own review is unfolding.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
Det Ch Supt Zara Brown said officers "responded quickly" to the unfolding incident.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
When it comes to diesel-burning trucks, the shift is earlier-stage, but unfolding startlingly fast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald acknowledged the chaos unfolding outside his courtroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Atzerodt knew the details of the assassination plan that was unfolding.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
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.
