unfold
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to reveal or disclose in words, especially by careful or systematic exposition; set forth; explain.
verb (used without object)
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to become unfolded; open.
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to develop.
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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
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to reveal or be revealed
the truth unfolds
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to develop or expand or be developed or expanded
Other Word Forms
- unfoldable adjective
- unfolder noun
- unfoldment noun
Etymology
Origin of unfold
before 900; Middle English unfolden, Old English unfealdan; cognate with German entfalten. See un- 2, fold 1
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.
As the disaster unfolded, many families frantically tried to find their pets, or put off evacuating because they didn’t want to leave them behind.
From Los Angeles Times
In Zambrano’s case, Gee scolded the government over how the detention unfolded.
From Los Angeles Times
The emergence of the unfolding catastrophe that is Aston Martin-Honda is so recent he has not yet been asked about his thoughts on his future.
From BBC
But the recent selloff has been “relatively indiscriminate,” and that ignores the supply-and-demand dynamics unfolding in the industry, Essex argued.
From Barron's
Investors and analysts can have good-faith disagreements about the usefulness of agentic AI, the economy’s ability to adapt to it, and which stocks will be winners and losers as AI advancements unfold.
From Barron's
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.
