Synonyms

unfurl

American

[uhn-furl] / ʌnˈfɜrl /

verb (used with object)

to spread or shake out from a furled state, as a sail or a flag; unfold.

verb (used without object)

to become unfurled.

unfurl British

/ ʌnˈfɜːl /

verb

to unroll, unfold, or spread out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled state

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unfurlable adjective

Etymology

Origin of unfurl

First recorded in 1635–45; un- ² + furl

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.

After a courtship that unfurled in fits and starts, they married in 1996.

From Salon

As night set in, that goodness he was feeling unfurled even more with the vines and arrows.

From Literature

They also are indignant about the government unfurling a welcome mat for Fuyao.

From The Wall Street Journal

It turned away and began to slip down a different branch, but there was a decided lethargy in its movement, and I saw a bulge halfway along its body as its coils unfurled.

From Literature

Christopher turned, and the iron spike that was his heart unfurled and became a victory flag.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023