as in expanding
to arrange the parts of (something) over a wider area
after the protestors had unfurled their banner, it stretched from one side of the visitors' gallery to the other
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Recent Examples of unfurling
What otherwise might be viewed as an aspect of maturation or the spirit moving him also happens to be unfurling early in a season in which the Royals had stressed the need for their young-ish core to seize control of the team.
—
Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
At thirty-eight, her womb was unfurling its first bloody fruit.
—‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
Several nations on the continent are only just recovering from a post-pandemic shock that sent debt burdens soaring, and inflationary pressures set off by the war in the Middle East now risk unfurling that progress.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Introduced by Jack Black, Illumination chief Chris Meledandri was on hand today in Las Vegas, unfurling a long look that shows the Minions in the Midwest chasing a robber cowboy on horse, train and plane and cornering him.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
Amid an unfurling federal corruption probe into City Councilmember Farah Louis, the Daily News has learned that the Brooklyn rep has been embroiled in a messy internal council investigation.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The florist-by-trade gestures behind her to hundreds of flowers contained in buckets — blue thistles, ivory anemones and calla lilies painted silver — all twisted and unfurling into the air.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
On May 20, 2025, Joslin and a group of activists climbed up one-third of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite monolith in Yosemite Park, unfurling a large Transgender flag and hanging it along the mountainside for approximately two hours.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Tehran has responded by unfurling a four-story poster in the capital’s Enghelab – or Revolution – Square threatening the destruction of an American aircraft carrier.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
At thirty-eight, her womb was unfurling its first bloody fruit.
—‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
Several nations on the continent are only just recovering from a post-pandemic shock that sent debt burdens soaring, and inflationary pressures set off by the war in the Middle East now risk unfurling that progress.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026
Introduced by Jack Black, Illumination chief Chris Meledandri was on hand today in Las Vegas, unfurling a long look that shows the Minions in the Midwest chasing a robber cowboy on horse, train and plane and cornering him.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026
Amid an unfurling federal corruption probe into City Councilmember Farah Louis, the Daily News has learned that the Brooklyn rep has been embroiled in a messy internal council investigation.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
The florist-by-trade gestures behind her to hundreds of flowers contained in buckets — blue thistles, ivory anemones and calla lilies painted silver — all twisted and unfurling into the air.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
On May 20, 2025, Joslin and a group of activists climbed up one-third of El Capitan, a 3,000-foot granite monolith in Yosemite Park, unfurling a large Transgender flag and hanging it along the mountainside for approximately two hours.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Tehran has responded by unfurling a four-story poster in the capital’s Enghelab – or Revolution – Square threatening the destruction of an American aircraft carrier.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfurling
Verb
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With revenue-sharing challenges mounting across college athletics — and some schools already cutting sports — expanding the playoff has become a potential financial lifeline.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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According to Abbott's office, the Texas Department of Public Safety is immediately expanding the Texas Repeat Offender Taskforce to the Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin metropolitan areas.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Small adjustments made big differences, like increasing pocket sizes to better fit the tennis balls and, with Sabet’s suggestion, extending her coat to the floor.—
Kaio Cesar,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
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Mominul followed his 91 with 56 in the second innings, extending his rich form with five half-centuries in a row and became the Bangladesh batter to reach 5,000 runs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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The damage and acceptance that kind of internal contradiction can bring to a person over an extended period runs through every frame of Firstman’s film, and the result feels less like a conventional dramedy than a decade-long discovery unfolding in real time.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
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Fittingly, the showdown is unfolding just outside Pennsylvania’s City of Brotherly Love.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
Verb
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When the puck finally dropped on the fifth and deciding game of the semifinal series, Minnesota came out flying with yet another quick start, pinning Montreal into its own zone for most of the opening 10 minutes.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Haring, in fact, was one of the earliest artists to experiment with blending art and commerce, opening his famous Pop Shop in Lower Manhattan in 1986.—
Leigh Anne Miller,
ARTnews.com,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfurling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfurling. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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