unfold

verb

ˌən-ˈfōld How to pronounce unfold (audio)
Definition of unfoldnext
1
as in to expand
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area carefully unfold that antique map so that it doesn't tear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to evolve
to gradually become clearer or more detailed as the situation unfolded, it became clear that more help would be needed the movie became more interesting once the mystery began to unfold

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to bloom
to produce flowers the rosebud unfolded literally overnight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to appear
to come into view the majestic landscape unfolded before us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unfold For the first time since the brand’s relaunch, the campaign unfolds across iconic New York City locations, where the city’s energy, texture and light become an extension of the collection. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026 For them, the discovery of the living world is still unfolding. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Dining unfolds in the former detention center, where the accused were held before trial—a grand building accessed via a zigzag of white pathways surrounded by flowers. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026 The stabbing unfolded next to a Times Square police station in one of New York’s busiest corridors, raising fresh questions about safety after another fatal stabbing there in May. — Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfold
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfold
  1. expand
  2. evolve
  3. bloom
  4. appear
  5. extend
  6. grow
  7. flower
  8. show
Verb
  • The View From Beijing In a departure from business strategies of the past, this current cohort of Chinese companies has a mandate to expand internationally, according to academic Karim Alwadi, based in Beijing.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Opened on New Year’s Day in 1926, the hotel was expanded by famed society architect Maurice Fatio, who managed to maintain intimacy despite imposing a larger footprint.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of expand
Verb
  • Every season under Arteta, Arsenal have evolved in one way or another.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This marks the continuation of the long-standing partnership, which is continually evolving in line with the changing requirements of the maritime environment, according to a press release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of evolve
Verb
  • Every scene is optimized in real time for infinite contrast, deep blacks, and lifelike highlight detail without blooming.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Although blueberries are self-fertile, planting multiple cultivars that bloom at the same time will lead to larger berries and a higher yield.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of bloom
Verb
  • Matt Bevin has missed several court dates in the case and did not attend the May 29 hearing in person as required by the judge, appearing via Zoom instead.
    — Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Cell phone video later obtained by media outlets also appeared to conflict with Castro's description of the encounter.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of appear
Verb
  • Hossain, who teaches part-time at Smith College, including a course on love and devotion in Bollywood cinema, argues that the pressures her film dramatizes extend well beyond South Asia.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But, as Mosley explained to Fox News Digital, a law passed in North Carolina in 2025 extended the statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits specifically for people who have undergone gender transitions.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of extend
Verb
  • These grew louder each time a Ferrari left its garage and entered the pit lane before softening again, a call and response that echoed around the circuit.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Its growing fleets of electric motorcycles and buses have been less exposed to the fuel-price shock than peers elsewhere on the continent, and have seen demand rise.
    — Nana Menya Ayensu, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of grow
Verb
  • Free-branching, smaller-bloomed, ball-mounding, hardier garden mums are designed to grow naturally in the ground, usually flowering between late August and October.
    — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Plants have to be mature and about ready to flower when the central leaves turn varying shades of red.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of flower
Verb
  • The data set shows the Hong Kong chief executive is the second-highest earner ​globally with $719,000 annually, followed by the Swiss president at $606,000.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As polls show the public increasingly favoring guardrails for AI safety — and opposing data center buildouts — the White House is likely to face still more calls for an explanation of why a more transparent framework is not possible.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of show

Browse Nearby Words

unfocused
unfold
unfolded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unfold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfold. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All