unfurl

verb

un·​furl ˌən-ˈfər(-ə)l 

unfurled; unfurling; unfurls

transitive verb

: to release from a furled state

unfurled the sails

intransitive verb

: to open out from or as if from a furled state : unfold

The flowers are starting to unfurl.

Synonyms of unfurl

• expand
• extend
• unfold
• open

Examples of unfurl in a Sentence

after the protestors had unfurled their banner, it stretched from one side of the visitors' gallery to the other

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid an unfurling federal corruption probe into City Councilmember Farah Louis, the Daily News has learned that the Brooklyn rep has been embroiled in a messy internal council investigation. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026

Felder reached into his backpack and unfurled a sign of his own. —Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026

Two 23-foot-wide drogue chutes then will unfurl and inflate at around 24,000 feet to stabilize the capsule followed by three pilot chutes that will pull out Orion's three 116-foot-wide main parachutes. —William Harwood, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026

Cate Charron Protesters unfurled a 520-foot brown paper banner that partially stretched around the Statehouse. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for unfurl

• cowgirl
• schoolgirl
• burl
• churl
• earl
• girl
• hurl
• merl
• merle
• perle
• swirl
• twirl

Kids Definition

unfurl

verb

un·​furl ˌən-ˈfər(-ə)l 

: to loose from a furled state : open or spread : unfold

unfurl sails

unfurl a flag