unfold

verb

ˌən-ˈfōld How to pronounce unfold (audio)
Definition of unfoldnext
1
as in to expand
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area carefully unfold that antique map so that it doesn't tear

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to evolve
to gradually become clearer or more detailed as the situation unfolded, it became clear that more help would be needed the movie became more interesting once the mystery began to unfold

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3
as in to bloom
to produce flowers the rosebud unfolded literally overnight

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to appear
to come into view the majestic landscape unfolded before us

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unfold When unfolded, the phone acts more like a tablet, ideal for gaming and watching videos. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 Bathed in the shifting light from the screen, the orchestra’s movements and playing functioned like a second drama unfolding onstage, augmenting and mirroring the original film. — Caitlin White, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 As fashion month unfolds, all eyes will be on what these collections reveal about fashion’s next direction. — Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2026 But away from the din at the crammed Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, a quieter labor-management battle is unfolding over who controls the sport’s money and how much should go to players. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfold
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfold
  1. expand
  2. evolve
  3. bloom
  4. appear
  5. extend
  6. grow
  7. flower
  8. show
Verb
  • In the 1980s some politicians and activists expanded their definitions to include Asian and African groups.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Data center demand meets nuclear power The agreement comes as Google expands its Finnish infrastructure, including its data center in Hamina.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of expand
Verb
  • Every season under Arteta, Arsenal have evolved in one way or another.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This marks the continuation of the long-standing partnership, which is continually evolving in line with the changing requirements of the maritime environment, according to a press release.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of evolve
Verb
  • Every scene is optimized in real time for infinite contrast, deep blacks, and lifelike highlight detail without blooming.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Although blueberries are self-fertile, planting multiple cultivars that bloom at the same time will lead to larger berries and a higher yield.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of bloom
Verb
  • Mercury's rough surface, continually reshaped by debris hurled from impact craters, may have hidden the true extent of the loss, according to the researchers whose findings appear in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • What was especially strange was that the initial rumors of the move appeared while the Avs were still in the playoffs.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of appear
Verb
  • Hossain, who teaches part-time at Smith College, including a course on love and devotion in Bollywood cinema, argues that the pressures her film dramatizes extend well beyond South Asia.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But, as Mosley explained to Fox News Digital, a law passed in North Carolina in 2025 extended the statute of limitations for medical malpractice lawsuits specifically for people who have undergone gender transitions.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of extend
Verb
  • These grew louder each time a Ferrari left its garage and entered the pit lane before softening again, a call and response that echoed around the circuit.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Its growing fleets of electric motorcycles and buses have been less exposed to the fuel-price shock than peers elsewhere on the continent, and have seen demand rise.
    — Nana Menya Ayensu, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of grow
Verb
  • Free-branching, smaller-bloomed, ball-mounding, hardier garden mums are designed to grow naturally in the ground, usually flowering between late August and October.
    — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Plants have to be mature and about ready to flower when the central leaves turn varying shades of red.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of flower
Verb
  • The data set shows the Hong Kong chief executive is the second-highest earner ​globally with $719,000 annually, followed by the Swiss president at $606,000.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As polls show the public increasingly favoring guardrails for AI safety — and opposing data center buildouts — the White House is likely to face still more calls for an explanation of why a more transparent framework is not possible.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of show

Browse Nearby Words

unfocused
unfold
unfolded
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Cite this Entry

“Unfold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfold. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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