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
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
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are unfoldingprogressive
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is unfoldingprogressive
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have been unfoldingperfect progressive
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has been unfoldingperfect progressive
Past
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unfoldedsimple
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had unfoldedperfect
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was unfoldingprogressive
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were unfoldingprogressive
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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:
On a lightly floured surface, unfold the puff pastry and cut it into four equal rectangles.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
One of the most magical and underrated natural wonders of the West is about to unfold across California beaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Exactly how these changes will unfold, two decades from now, is uncertain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The mission did not unfold perfectly, but it proved the concept could fly.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
By now everyone has put down their forks to watch the scene unfold.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
"As his health deteriorates, his protest gains traction and raises the political stakes for the government. How this unfolds remains to be seen."
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
But she stressed Wednesday that "at this juncture, I see it as prudent to give a bit more time to observe how inflation unfolds from here."
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
What will play a big part in his thinking is how the situation in the Mideast unfolds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
As the interview unfolds, “Questioning” takes on the form of a Möbius strip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
When he unfolds it, I can tell the address that’s written there has been traced over several times to never fade.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
The bizarre hostage crisis unfolded like a scene from a movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Those words echoed as celebrations unfolded before unprecedented crowds.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
But three men who were inside the vehicle with Araujo dispute that account, saying the encounter unfolded differently and that officers were not in the path of the vehicle when shots were fired.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Without hesitation, I named everyone but stopped short as I realized that we now knew how many of their life stories unfolded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But as the class filtered out, he grabbed his bag, unfolded himself from his desk, and started for the door.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
With the World Cup now unfolding across Los Angeles, the sisters say they can’t help but feel his presence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
To be sure, this high-level view of the market overlooks some of the carnage unfolding beneath the surface.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
The challenges in Washington were mirrored elsewhere, where holiday celebrations are unfolding under widespread heat alerts affecting roughly a third of the U.S. population.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
UN rights chief Volker Turk issues a "red alert" Friday on the unfolding "catastrophe" in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, where the United Nations fears an imminent paramilitary assault.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Lord Dunmore did not speak at first, simply listening to his guests before unfolding his own schemes and views.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
