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 the other hand, the adviser’s perspective is that there are simply too many moving parts today, and that flexibility will likely produce better decisions as circumstances unfold.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Fans arrived to warm but manageable conditions, allowing the final to unfold without the weather becoming another headline.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
These events unfold extremely quickly on cosmic timescales, sometimes lasting only days or weeks.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
Colored-pencil illustrations evoke a faded softness, while comic-style panels zoom in, frame by frame, as different actions unfold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
I watch the scene unfold in slow motion.
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
What will play a big part in his thinking is how the situation in the Mideast unfolds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Yet even this celebration unfolds under the shadow of the conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
Despite the song’s look back and the equally autobiographical ballad “L.E.S. Girl” later on, the record as a whole unfolds in the present moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
She unfolds it to reveal a child’s careful cursive in faint pencil, practicing the same sentence over and over again: Upright and do right make all right.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
A May deposition of Ortiz, the ICE deportation officer, revealed more information about a shooting that unfolded in Ontario in October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The remark is notable in light of behind-the-scenes drama that has unfolded over the last year and a half.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Bystanders - including Craig Lowe, who made three rescue attempts - sprung into action as the tragedy unfolded, administering CPR to the Rahmans.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The drama all unfolded at the same Tollcross pool where 29-year-old Scott won the first of his now 14 Games medals in 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
While this drama unfolded in New Hampshire, other members of the Washington household were demonstrating a taste for freedom.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
New research suggests the answer may depend on a combination of personality, sleep quality, mental habits, and major events unfolding in the outside world.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Homer’s “Odyssey” begins after Troy has already fallen, with the Trojan War recounted in memories and stories rather than unfolding as part of the action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The debate is unfolding at a particularly visible moment.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Now, just a stone’s throw away, a different scene is unfolding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
With the business of gathering up my bag, finding a twenty-pound note and unfolding my umbrella, I did not notice the car parked immediately in front until my cab pulled away.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
