unfurl
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unfurlsimple
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unfurlssimple
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have unfurledperfect
-
has unfurledperfect
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am unfurlingprogressive
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are unfurlingprogressive
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is unfurlingprogressive
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have been unfurlingperfect progressive
-
has been unfurlingperfect progressive
Past
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unfurledsimple
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had unfurledperfect
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was unfurlingprogressive
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were unfurlingprogressive
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had been unfurlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unfurl
Explanation
When you unfurl something, you unroll it or spread it out. Your yoga teacher will unfurl her long purple mat at the beginning of class. To unfurl something is to roll it out, unwinding it the way you do with a coiled laptop charger cord. You might also unfurl a pair of socks curled around each other or the American flag you keep rolled up in a closet until the Fourth of July. Unfurl is a more common word than its opposite, furl, which means "roll or fold." The French origin is ferler, "to furl," from the Old French roots fer, "firm" and lier, "bind."
Vocabulary lists containing unfurl
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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:
If both plants unfurl on the same day, it would be just the second time a double bloom has ever occurred at the Huntington.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
But risks do lie in the indirect macroeconomic forces that could unfurl if the conflict drags on or intensifies, they say in a report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
The result will unfurl over years, not news cycles.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2026
And geopolitical events will unfurl as we watch helplessly from afar.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025
About a month later, after they've gained up to eight feet in height, the large, flat disk that is the flower will unfurl.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
A seemingly endless network of roads unfurls in a massive grid, generally without sidewalks, curbs or landscaping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Across the next four days, the future unfurls: Neuroscientist Anil Seth says it’s highly unlikely A.I. will gain consciousness.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
The answer unfurls in your question: Do you believe that you ethically owe half of the winnings to your friend?
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
In her excellent food history essay, “Thanks, Patti LaBelle: Sweet potato pie will always beat pumpkin in my household,” Salon Senior Critic Melanie McFarland unfurls the dessert’s profound meaning and roots in Black American culture.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2024
As I open the junk drawer, a flyer, one end snagged in a crevice in the wood above, unfurls.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Meanwhile, a large banner with the words 'panic on the streets of London' was unfurled in the south stand of Etihad Stadium at full-time.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Greenpeace activists scaled a monument in front of Congress at dawn on Wednesday and unfurled a banner urging lawmakers "not to betray the Argentine people."
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
Needing to be unfurled twice, like a travel brochure, the smartphone packs a display measuring 10 inches diagonally when fully opened—almost as big as a standard tablet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
As the series unfurled, proving to a skeptical entertainment industry that women can be compelling antiheroes too, much of that talk revolved around Byrne.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Her eyes glittered and her mouth unfurled into a smile.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Even if this is the end of the conflict, the economic shock is still unfurling.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
In March, anti-fur activists demonstrated during the women's shows, unfurling banners that said "Milan Fashion Week Go Fur-Free".
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Hüller’s voice begins small before unfurling into a mighty, sonorant exclamation until it’s brought back down again, like a woman who’s reluctant to let herself have too much faith in the impossible.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
They also are indignant about the government unfurling a welcome mat for Fuyao.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Potted plants crowded some of them, pink and gold bougainvillea unfurling over wooden rails painted red or black.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
