unfold

verb

un·​fold ˌən-ˈfōld 

unfolded; unfolding; unfolds

transitive verb

1

a

: to open the folds of : spread or straighten out : expand

unfolded the map

b

: to remove (something, such as a package) from the folds : unwrap

2

: to open to the view : reveal

especially : to make clear by gradual disclosure and often by recital

intransitive verb

1

a

: to open from a folded state : open out : expand

b

: blossom

2

: develop, evolve

as the story unfolds

3

: to open out gradually to the view or understanding : become known

a panorama unfolds before their eyes

unfoldment

ˌən-ˈfōl(d)-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• expand
• extend
• fan (out)
• flare (out)
• open
• outspread
• outstretch
• spread (out)
• stretch (out)
• unfurl

Example Sentences

The couch unfolds to form a bed.

We'll have more news as events unfold.

We watched the drama unfold on live television.

As the story unfolds, we learn that the boy became an orphan when he was one year old.

Recent Examples on the Web

Following Dreamville, Rose’s career really began to unfold. —Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2023

Contra The 2024 presidential primary is still more than a year away and the final candidate field has yet to unfold. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023

How will the coronation day unfold? —Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 5 Apr. 2023

The status of Emily Ratajkowski and Harry Styles relationship continues to unfold. —Tracey Harrington Mccoy, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2023

The world’s worst nuclear disaster, unfolding only a few miles away, did not force Halyna Voloshyna, 74, to abandon her home in Chernobyl in 1986. —Marc Santora Emile Ducke, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023

But one seasoned investor who predicted 2008’s great financial crisis thinks that more chaos will unfold. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2023

With a rally in support of Pearson unfolding about a mile away at the National Civil Rights Museum, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners will meet at 1:30 p.m. to take up the matter of Pearson’s vacant seat. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 12 Apr. 2023

Here, however, we’re made witness to an unfolding disaster, a rupture in the proper order of things. —Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

unfold

verb

un·​fold ˌən-ˈfōld 

1

a

: to spread or cause to spread or straighten out from a folded position or arrangement

unfolded the map

b

: unwrap

2

: bloom entry 2 sense 1

3

: develop sense 1a

as the story unfolds

4

: to open out or cause to open out gradually to the view or understanding

new technology unfolds before us