conceal

verb

con·​ceal kən-ˈsēl 

concealed; concealing; conceals

transitive verb

1

: to prevent disclosure or recognition of

conceal the truth

She could barely conceal her anger.

2

: to place out of sight

concealed himself behind the door

The defendant is accused of attempting to conceal evidence.

concealable

kən-ˈsē-lə-bəl 

adjective

concealingly

kən-ˈsē-liŋ-lē 

adverb

concealment

kən-ˈsēl-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• hide
• bury

Choose the Right Synonym for conceal

hide, conceal, screen, secrete, bury mean to withhold or withdraw from sight.

hide may or may not suggest intent.

hide in the closet

a house hidden in the woods

conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.

concealed the weapon

screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.

a house screened by trees

secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.

secreted the amulet inside his shirt

bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.

buried the treasure

Examples of conceal in a Sentence

The sunglasses conceal her eyes.

The controls are concealed behind a panel.

The defendant is accused of attempting to conceal evidence.

The editorial accused the government of concealing the truth.

She could barely conceal her anger.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet this claim conceals the fact that registration is swift for compliant unions but obstructed for independent ones. —Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025

Clothes therefore became a clever signifier that could be displayed or concealed depending on the situation. —Steve Salter, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025

These participants, who, like those in our COVID-19 study, prioritized a symbolic show of strength, were more likely to believe in other kinds of misinformation and conspiracies, too, such as that the government is concealing evidence of alien contact. —Abraham Rutchick, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025

The connections to the servers in the landing station a mile away had been installed, and a spaghetti of thick black cables lay concealed in the cube below the manhole. —Samanth Subramanian, The Dial, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English concelen, borrowed from Anglo-French conceler, borrowed from Latin concēlāre, from con- con- + cēlāre "to hide, keep secret," probably derivative of an unattested lengthened-grade noun formed from the Indo-European verb base *ḱel- "cover, conceal," whence Latin occulere "to hide from view, keep secret" (from *ob-cel-), Old Irish ceilid "(s/he) hides," Welsh celaf "(I) hide," Germanic *hel-a- "hide" (whence Old English, Old Saxon & Old High German helan "to hide, keep secret")

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for conceal

• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal
• cornmeal
• flywheel
• foveal
• genteel

Kids Definition

conceal

verb

con·​ceal kən-ˈsē(ə)l 

1

: to keep secret

conceal a fact

2

: to hide from sight

carry a concealed weapon

concealable

-ˈsē-lə-bəl 

adjective

concealer noun

Legal Definition

conceal

transitive verb

con·​ceal

1

: to prevent disclosure of or fail to disclose (as a provision in a contract) especially in violation of a duty to disclose

2

a

: to place out of sight

Note: A weapon need only be placed out of ordinary observation in order to be considered a concealed weapon.

b

: to prevent or hinder recognition, discovery, or recovery of

concealing stolen property

concealment noun