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

Cinnamon ferns form hummocks, with tightly wound fiddleheads stretching upwards toward the sun, just beginning to unfurl into emerald fronds. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

When Real Betis hosted Real Madrid at home in Seville in La Liga on Friday, two huge flags — one in Ceuta’s black and white, the other Spain’s red and yellow — were unfurled on the pitch. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

When London Craft Week, an annual celebration of the handmade, unfurled across the center of the city this past May, the work of a thousand or so makers bloomed out of every corner. — Clare Coulson, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

No better place than a SoCal gym to unfurl the mechanics of unapproved peptide trafficking. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 4 Sep. 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