conceal

verb

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con·ceal | \ kən-ˈsēl

concealed; concealing; conceals

Definition of conceal

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.

Other Words from conceal Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about conceal

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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 But as the public has grown more aware of once-unfamiliar infectious diseases, mental illness and drug addiction, the tendency to conceal has slowly given way to candor. — New York Times, "As U.S. Deaths Surpass 300,000, Obituaries Force Reckoning with Covid," 13 Dec. 2020 Be honest with your kids — to an extent There is no need to conceal the realities of COVID-19. — Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, "Parents, 2020 could be a time for new holiday traditions that outlast COVID-19 restrictions," 25 Nov. 2020 There's no need to conceal these screws since the top will cover them. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "Build This Rolling Cabinet for Extra Functional Storage," 26 Sep. 2020 The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating whether Tony lied about his history on an application to conceal the incident from police employers, among other undisclosed issues. — Rafael Olmeda, sun-sentinel.com, "Sheriff Gregory Tony asks judge to toss lawsuit claiming he has a criminal record," 23 Dec. 2020 The men were accused at trial of picking up spent shell casings as part of an effort to conceal the incident. — Rebecca Ballhaus, WSJ, "Trump Issues 15 Pardons and Five Commutations," 23 Dec. 2020 While cheating might be the big, overarching lie, there might be several minor lies your partner has to tell in order to conceal the affair. — Kristin Koch, Woman's Day, "17 Signs Your Partner Might be Having an Affair," 21 Dec. 2020 He is also accused of obstructing his national security background check, which officials allege helped conceal his spying efforts that began in 2014. — Washington Post, "New York police officer spied for China, federal prosecutors allege," 22 Sep. 2020 After all, anti-fat bias is so normalized and ubiquitous that most of us don’t even try to conceal it. — Your Fat Friend, SELF, "After Years of Writing Anonymously About Fatness, I'm Telling the World Who I Am," 11 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conceal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for conceal

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")