unfolds

present tense third-person singular of unfold
1
as in expands
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area carefully unfold that antique map so that it doesn't tear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in evolves
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4

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 unfolds But while this drama unfolds, the real winners of the World Cup so far are the prediction markets. Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 6 July 2026 From there, the route to finding real Earth Art unfolds through Nevada and Utah, before dipping into Arizona. Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026 Park describes her character’s relationship with her brother as evolving along those lines as the film unfolds. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 What unfolds around the circuit, across London and throughout Britain’s motorsport corridor tells a far bigger commercial story. Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Things rapidly spiral out of control for the quartet as a waking nightmare, filled with ghostly figures and sudden disappearances, unfolds. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026 The latest edition of the nomadic European biennial unfolds this year across four cities—Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Bochum—with 12 historic churches hosting site-specific installations. Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 July 2026 As the day unfolds, your energy returns, along with the desire to speak up or change your approach. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 As the funeral unfolds, however, the village’s dark secrets slowly emerge. John Hopewell, Variety, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfolds
Verb
  • The tax law also expands Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in shorter-term workforce training programs.
    Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • The temporary rule expands that list to 29 specific degree programs, including master of science in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, and doctor of nurse anesthesia practice.
    Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • The most surprising finding is how slowly this virus evolves.
    John Drake, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Bringing together images made since 2010, the project draws from different moments in his practice and expands ideas first explored in his 2015 photobook Momentary, with new work continuing to be added as the project evolves.
    PhotoVogue, Vogue, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • This plant flowers year-round and, like all abutilon cultivars, is not water needy.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That appears to be what gave Weiser the edge to defeat Bennet in what started as an uphill battle due largely to name recognition.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • McKinney’s name appears on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines, one of 36,286 service members who were lost or never recovered during the war in the Pacific.
    Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Episode three opens with Daemon and Caraxes, flanked by Ulf on Silverwing and Hugh on Vermithor, meeting Lord Ormund Hightower’s host in an open field.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
  • On Sundays, Kenyon opens the gates of his homestead to kids from Cherbourg, and anyone else who wants to ride bulls.
    Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • The sky may be clear during the day, especially in the areas far from the water, but coastal fog is expected to spread far overnight and in the early mornings as the week progresses.
    Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 29 June 2026
  • This evolution progresses from personal assistance to agentic AI, then multi-agent systems, and finally autonomous enterprise AI, unlocking exponential productivity gains.
    Larry English, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • This is typically done in the spring or summer, before the plant blooms.
    Heather Bien, The Spruce, 15 June 2026
  • The city blooms with bikers, picnickers, runners, and walkers, and cafés push their tables out to the sidewalk.
    Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • Gallup research shows that managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement across organizations.
    Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis shows the executive spent roughly three-quarters of that — more than $83 million — on television and cable advertising.
    Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 2 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Unfolds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfolds. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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