Synonyms of unfolds

unfolds

verb

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

• expands
• opens
• extends
• unfurls
• spreads (out)
• stretches (out)
• flares (out)
• fans (out)
• outstretches
• outspreads
• overspreads

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• closes
• folds
• contracts
• reduces
• condenses
• compresses
• compacts

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

• evolves
• progresses
• grows
• develops
• elaborates
• emerges
• proceeds
• matures
• ripens
• marches
• fares
• gets on
• advances
• materializes
• blossoms
• gets along
• plays out
• forges

3

as in flowers

to produce flowers

the rosebud unfolded literally overnight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flowers
• blooms
• blossoms
• burgeons
• blows
• leaves
• effloresces
• opens
• buds
• leafs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fades
• dies
• expires
• dries up
• withers
• shrivels
• drops
• perishes
• wilts

4

as in appears

to come into view

the majestic landscape unfolded before us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• appears
• shows
• comes
• arrives
• looms
• rises
• materializes
• reappears
• happens
• emerges
• comes out
• turns up
• shows up
• erupts
• occurs
• arises
• resurfaces
• surfaces
• dawns
• debuts
• blossoms
• breaks out
• crops (up)
• bulks
• springs (up)
• breaks
• shoots (up)
• issues
• outcrops
• bobs (up)
• rematerializes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disappears
• goes (away)
• dissolves
• fades
• vanishes
• evaporates
• clears
• melts (away)
• leaves
• departs
• withdraws
• retires
• evanesces

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unfolds

Granted, save for one image on a TV screen, no one wears a Green Lantern mask or outfit in the Lanterns pilot, but the wheels of its story have been in motion for decades by the time its premise unfolds. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026

Before a next phase of this crisis unfolds, therefore, policymakers must analyze how this resilience came to be. — Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026

While the show fluidly traverses the years before and after it, dropping in on Hal and John at key moments in their lives, the investigation that puts the two men in buddy-cop mode unfolds in 2016, two decades after the William Tell scene. — Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026

After ejection, the aircraft unfolds its folding wings and transitions to aerodynamic flight. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026

This difference allows physicists to disentangle the exchange of electrical charge that occurs as a ruthenium-zirconium collision unfolds, tracking its propagation through the myriad new particles produced. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026

And as Jeon-Gi’s time at summer camp unfolds, the reader is made persistently aware of some fatal crisis to come. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Vorozhbyt says that Demons and the relationship at its core unfolds on several levels. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Keep in mind, as the second eclipse unfolds across the Leo-Aquarius axis, this celestial event is part of a much larger story (and eclipse series) that began early on in the year in February. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026