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

Examples of unfold in a Sentence

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

The incident unfolded in the 7700 block of Southland Way in a residential neighborhood a few blocks south of Gerber Road in Sacramento County’s Vineyard neighborhood. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024

Almost a year later, a confrontation between Pino and Richard Hollis unfolded just as the officer had predicted. —Carol Marbin Miller and, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

The Maui Fire Department released its own after-action report Tuesday, chronicling how wildfires and the emergency response to them unfolded across the island from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11, during a tropical storm that had prompted red flag warnings in the preceding days. —Lewis Kamb, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

The entirety of Hurley’s nine-year tenure in Tempe has unfolded since ASU shut down Packard for good. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

The discovery unfolded while ecologist Sabrina Rondeau was investigating the effects of pesticide residue on common eastern bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) in a laboratory at Canada’s University of Guelph in 2021. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024

The chaos unfolded as the United States heads into a sensitive time related to the presidential election. —Tim Craig, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024

As the case unfolded, so did Pan’s tangled web of lies. —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024

The unrelated stabbings unfolded barely 48 hours apart and have punctured the sense of security in a city and country where such acts of violence are rare. —Victoria Kim, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

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