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

• bury
• cache
• ensconce
• hide
• secrete

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

Trump faces 40 charges of retaining national defense documents and concealing about 100 records with classified markings at his Mar-a-Lago resort after leaving the White House. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Instead, at the back, there was essentially a bucket partially concealed by a curtain that didn’t reach the floor. —David Kushner, WIRED, 4 Apr. 2024

The officials said the company promised to secure immigrants’ release on bond while their immigration claims were being processed but concealed and misrepresented the true nature and costs of its services. —Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024

Prosecutors accused Randazzo of concealing his relationship with FirstEnergy by not reporting his agreement or earnings on annual ethics forms. —Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024

In November, Israel revealed a subterranean system concealed beneath the hospital, including a command and control center and rooms where the army said hostages kidnapped from Israel during the Oct. 7 mass terror attack had been held. —Ruth Marks Eglash, Fox News, 30 Mar. 2024

The act of concealing visible signs of struggle carries profound implications for our well-being and connectedness. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

About 12% of the population at or above 21 hold concealed pistol licenses. —Jack Armstrong, Wajeeha Kamal, Maya Moore and Shealyn Paulis, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024

Carter then approached Jenkins from behind with the knives concealed and stabbed him in the lower back, police allege in the complaint. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024

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

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