unfurl
Americanverb (used with object)
-
unfurls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unfurled,
past participle, past
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unfurling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
unfurls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unfurled,
past participle, past
-
unfurling
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
unfurlsimple
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unfurlssimple
-
have unfurledperfect
-
has unfurledperfect
-
am unfurlingprogressive
-
are unfurlingprogressive
-
is unfurlingprogressive
-
have been unfurlingperfect progressive
-
has been unfurlingperfect progressive
Past
-
unfurledsimple
-
had unfurledperfect
-
was unfurlingprogressive
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were unfurlingprogressive
-
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:
The possibility that the World Cup would unfurl before empty stadiums felt very real.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Inside the 25,000-seater Estadio Hidalgo in east-central Mexico, fans unfurl a tifo featuring a miner.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 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
He listened to the sound of his sandals slapping against the temple’s stone floor as he let the idea unfurl in his imagination.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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 this enormous projection piece, Eliasson unfurls a phantasmagoria of shifting shapes and amorphous space across a vast fabric scrim stretched between the walls of a large, darkened museum gallery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2024
But when Ben unfurls the T-shirts, there are two small problems.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
During the climb, the pair, clad in black outfits with their faces covered, unfurled a banner that read: "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
In 2022, while playing the Tree, Stanford’s unofficial mascot, he unfurled a 40-foot banner that read, “Stanford Hates Fun.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Before getting into the thick of their recent music catalog, Los Primos del Este quickly unfurled details of the album cover, which shows the group sprawled across the flatbed of a white truck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
A huge banner was unfurled in the East Stand as the players emerged onto the pitch before kick-off that read '10 years with Pep - Game changer, history maker, City forever'.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
They shot from under the rocks, unfurled their ears, and listened.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
It is sacred architecture as a slowly unfurling spiritual quest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
On July 1, extreme climbers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus announced their engagement by scaling the Empire State Building and unfurling a banner from its famous antenna that proclaimed the healing power of love.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Even if this is the end of the conflict, the economic shock is still unfurling.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
She imagines the journey of her characters unfurling in a spiral, with the story extending downward into the darkness before rising back up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025
Then, it gives a mighty leap into the air—and blade-like wings extend from either side of it, unfurling in a magnificent display.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
