declassify

verb

de·​clas·​si·​fy (ˌ)dē-ˈkla-sə-ˌfī How to pronounce declassify (audio)
declassified; declassifying; declassifies

transitive verb

: to remove or reduce the security classification of
declassify a secret document
declassification noun

Examples of declassify in a Sentence

The government has not yet declassified that information.
Recent Examples on the Web But ultimately, the broad authority to declassify secrets rests with the President. TIME, 29 Feb. 2024 Turner, in his initial statement, called on the Biden administration to declassify all information about the threat. Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 Little attention was paid to Alderney’s wartime history until the early Eighties, when a slew of documents were declassified, and the South African journalist Solomon H. Steckoll began to sift through them. Rebecca Panovka, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Turner issued a statement urging the administration to declassify the information so the U.S. and its allies can openly discuss how to respond. Matthew Lee, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 Israel declassified more than 30 secret military and government orders to challenge South Africa’s charge of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice. David Leonhardt, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024 After the war, they were sworn to secrecy about the program until it was declassified by the federal government in 1968. David Kelly, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024 Investigating the Israeli military's assault on Gaza's largest hospital The new details, recently declassified, were obtained from intelligence gathered by U.S. spy agencies after the IDF’s Nov. 15 raid, officials said. Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2024 Ten days ago, the administration declassified intelligence indicating that Iranian paramilitary groups were coordinating the Houthi attacks, providing targeting information about commercial shipping passing through the waterway and the Suez Canal. Vivek Shankar, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'declassify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of declassify was in 1945

Dictionary Entries Near declassify

Cite this Entry

“Declassify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/declassify. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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