unfurl

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verb un·furl \ ˌən-ˈfər(-ə)l \

Definition of unfurl

transitive verb

:to release from a furled state

intransitive verb

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

See unfurl defined for English-language learners

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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 of unfurl from the Web

Team members and expo players unfurled a giant American flag.

— ann benoit, NOLA.com, "North Shore first responders play ball for special diamond," 24 Aug. 2017
This season has, indeed, unfurled much like someone else’s dream—in this case, David Lynch’s.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Twin Peaks: 6 Big Mysteries That Sunday’s Jam-Packed Episode Finally (Maybe) Solved," 14 Aug. 2017
As people held hands and unfurled the Estonian flag, Puur grasped the power that singing has held in his country.

— isabelle de pommereau, The Christian Science Monitor, "Never mind he’s only in his mid-20s. He’s already conducted 22,000 performers.," 3 Aug. 2017
Devoney Looser unfurls the history of performers and writers who’ve been subverting the novelist’s reputation as the go-to author for heterosexual love since the Victorian era.

— the editors, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic's Week in Culture," 21 July 2017
Fire the guns and shout for freedom, See the flag above unfurled!

— leada gore, AL.com, "July 4th: Patriotic quotes, inspiration to celebrate Independence Day 2017," 4 July 2017
Fire the guns and shout for freedom, See the flag above unfurled!

— leada gore, AL.com, "July 4th: Patriotic quotes, inspiration to celebrate Independence Day 2017," 4 July 2017
That put an exclamation point on the championship game of the Section 2 Tournament for the Burbank-Jewel City 9-11 All-Stars softball team, which then celebrated briefly before unfurling the championship banner.

— charles rich, Glendale News-Press, "Burbank-Jewel City 9-11 All-Stars nail down Section 2 softball title," 3 July 2017
Nadal unfurled some silly angles, maneuvered slickly and pushed his 2017 Grand Slam record to 14-1.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Rafael Nadal continues winning ways in opening match at Wimbledon," 3 July 2017

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

First Known Use of unfurl

1641

unfurl Synonyms

Synonyms

expand, extend, fan (out), flare (out), outspread, outstretch, spread (out), stretch (out), unfold, open

Antonyms

close, contract, fold

Related Words

overspread

Near Antonyms

compact, compress, condense, reduce

UNFURL Defined for English Language Learners

unfurl

play

verb

Definition of unfurl for English Language Learners

: to cause (something that is folded or rolled up) to open

UNFURL Defined for Kids

unfurl

play

verb un·furl \ ˌən-ˈfərl \

Definition of unfurl for Students

unfurled; unfurling

:to open out from a rolled or folded state

unfurl a flag

Learn More about unfurl

See words that rhyme with unfurl Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unfurl Spanish Central: Translation of unfurl Nglish: Translation of unfurl for Spanish speakers

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Examples of unfurl in a Sentence

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First Known Use of unfurl

unfurl Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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UNFURL Defined for English Language Learners

unfurl

Definition of unfurl for English Language Learners

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unfurl

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