Adjacent Words

Unfold definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

UNFOLD, v.t
1. To open folds; to expand; to spread out.
2. To open any thing covered or close; to lay open to view or contemplation; to disclose; to reveal; as, to unfold one's designs; to unfold the principles of a science.
3. To declare; to tell; to disclose.
Unfold the passion of my love.
4. To display; as, to unfold the works of creation.
5. To release from a fold or pen; as, to unfold sheep.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: develop or come to a promising stage; "Youth blossomed into maturity" [syn: blossom, blossom out, blossom forth, unfold]
2: open to the view; "A walk through town will unfold many interesting buildings"
3: extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length; "Unfold the newspaper"; "stretch out that piece of cloth"; "extend the TV antenna" [syn: unfold, stretch, stretch out, extend]
4: spread out or open from a closed or folded state; "open the map"; "spread your arms" [syn: unfold, spread, spread out, open] [ant: fold, fold up, turn up]

Merriam Webster's

Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to open the folds of ; spread or straighten out ; expand <unfolded the map> b. to remove (as a package) from the folds ; unwrap 2. to open to the view ; reveal; especially to make clear by gradual disclosure and often by recital intransitive verb 1. a. to open from a folded state ; open out ; expand b. blossom 2. develop, evolve <as the story unfolds> 3. to open out gradually to the view or understanding ; become known <a panorama unfolds before their eyes> • unfoldment noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. open the fold or folds of, spread out. 2 tr. reveal (thoughts etc.). 3 intr. become opened out. 4 intr. develop. Derivatives: unfoldment n. US. Etymology: OE unfealdan (as UN-(2), FOLD(1))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Unfold Un*fold", v. i. To open; to expand; to become disclosed or developed. The wind blows cold While the morning doth unfold. --J. Fletcher.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Unfold Un*fold", v. t. [AS. unfealdan. See 1st Un-, and Fold, v. t.] 1. To open the folds of; to expand; to spread out; as, to unfold a tablecloth. Unfold thy forehead gathered into frowns. --Herbert. 2. To open, as anything covered or close; to lay open to view or contemplation; to bring out in all the details, or by successive development; to display; to disclose; to reveal; to elucidate; to explain; as, to unfold one's designs; to unfold the principles of a science. Unfold the passion of my love. --Shak. 3. To release from a fold or pen; as, to unfold sheep.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(unfolds, unfolding, unfolded) 1. If a situation unfolds, it develops and becomes known or understood. The outcome depends on conditions as well as how events unfold... VERB: V 2. If a story unfolds or if someone unfolds it, it is told to someone else. Don's story unfolded as the cruise got under way... Mr Wills unfolds his story with evident enjoyment. VERB: V, V n 3. If someone unfolds something which has been folded or if it unfolds, it is opened out and becomes flat. He quickly unfolded the blankets and spread them on the mattress... When the bird lifts off into flight, its wings unfold to an impressive six-foot span. ? fold VERB: V n, V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Expand, open, unroll, spread out. 2. Reveal, disclose, declare, divulge, tell. 3. Decipher, unravel, unriddle, explain, resolve, disentangle, interpret, evolve, illustrate, make known, set forth, make clear. 4. Display, spread out, set to view. 5. Release, dismiss from a fold.

Moby Thesaurus

account for, affect, allegorize, amplify, attend, bare, be revealed, become of, betoken, branch, branch out, brandish, break the seal, breathe, bring forth, bring forward, bring into view, bring out, bring to light, bring to notice, clarify, clear, clear up, come about, come of, come out, crack, dangle, decipher, demonstrate, demythologize, deobstruct, deploy, descant, detail, develop, dilate, disclose, discover, dismask, disperse, display, dissolve, divulge, dope out, dramatize, draw the veil, elaborate, elucidate, embody, enact, end, enlarge, enlarge upon, enlighten, ensue, euhemerize, eventuate, evidence, evince, evolve, exemplify, exhibit, expand, expatiate, explain, explain away, explicate, expose, expose to view, exposit, expound, express, extend, fall out, fan, fan out, fare, figure out, flare, flaunt, flourish, follow, free, give reason for, give sign, give the meaning, give token, happen, highlight, illuminate, illustrate, impart, incarnate, indicate, issue, lay bare, lay open, let daylight in, let out, make clear, make plain, manifest, materialize, mean, occur, open, open up, outspread, outstretch, overgrow, overrun, pan out, parade, particularize, patefy, perform, popularize, present, produce, prove, prove to be, puzzle out, raise the curtain, ramify, rationalize, rehearse in extenso, relate at large, represent, resolve, result, reveal, roll out, set forth, shed light upon, show, show forth, show how, show the way, show up, simplify, solve, spell out, splay, spotlight, spraddle, sprangle, sprawl, spread, spread like wildfire, spread out, straighten out, stretch out, strip bare, take place, terminate, throw light upon, token, trot out, turn out, unblock, uncase, unclench, uncloak, unclog, unclutch, uncoil, uncork, uncover, uncurtain, undo, undrape, unfoul, unfurl, unkennel, unlatch, unlock, unmask, unpack, unplug, unravel, unreel, unriddle, unroll, unscreen, unseal, unsheathe, unshroud, unshut, unstop, unveil, unwind, unwrap, wave, widen, work out