Definition of 'unfold'

Word Frequency

unfold

(ʌnfoʊld )

Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense unfolds , present participle unfolding , past tense, past participle unfolded

1. verb

If a situation unfolds, it develops and becomes known or understood.

The outcome depends on conditions as well as how events unfold. [VERB]

The facts started to unfold before them. [VERB]

Synonyms: develop, happen, progress, grow More Synonyms of unfold

2. verb

If a story unfolds or if someone unfolds it, it is told to someone else.

Don's story unfolded as the cruise got under way. [VERB]

Mr Wills unfolds his story with evident enjoyment. [VERB noun]

Synonyms: reveal, tell, present, show More Synonyms of unfold

3. verb

If someone unfolds something which has been folded or if it unfolds, it is opened out and becomes flat.

He quickly unfolded the blankets and spread them on the mattress. [VERB noun]

When the bird lifts off into flight, its wings unfold to an impressive six-foot span. [VERB]

Synonyms: open, spread out, undo, expand More Synonyms of unfold

Video: pronunciation of 'unfold'

Word Frequency

unfold in British

(ʌnˈfəʊld )

verb

to open or spread out or be opened or spread out from a folded state

to reveal or be revealed

the truth unfolds

to develop or expand or be developed or expanded

Derived forms

unfolder (unˈfolder)

noun

Word Frequency

unfold in American

(ʌnˈfoʊld ; unfōldˈ)

verb transitive

to open and spread out (something folded)

to make known or lay open to view, esp. in stages or little by little; reveal, disclose, display, or explain

verb intransitive

to become unfolded; open out or open up

to develop fully

Word origin of 'unfold'

ME unfolden < OE unfealdan < un-, un- + fealdan, to fold1

Example sentences containing 'unfold'

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The great, unfolding story that we are all a part of. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Listening to his story unfold, it strikes you it was probably a bit of both. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Like those games, the story unfolds as you make your way through the game. The Sun (2016)It is a crisis unfolding. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Only 2,000 tents are in place to meet them, underlining fears that a fresh humanitarian crisis could unfold. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Stand back and allow destiny's exquisite plan to unfold, in ways as elegant as they are unexpected. Times, Sunday Times (2017)The story she unfolds is both biography and intellectual parable. Times, Sunday Times (2008)But what of the drama that unfolds behind the scenes? Times, Sunday Times (2010)Zimbabwe is a tragedy unfolding before our very eyes. Times, Sunday Times (2008)It would be an indisputable pleasure to watch the unfolding drama. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The difference between them consists in the way the drama unfolds. The Times Literary Supplement (2012)All the action unfolds in close domestic quarters. Christianity Today (2000)The situation is economically unfolded in the first minutes. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Now consider the horror story unfolding in the official construction numbers. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Catch all the drama as it unfolds tonight. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Similar situations unfolded in the third quarter. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Can any good come out of this unfolding tragedy? Times, Sunday Times (2014)It is prudent we pause further reductions while the current situation is unfolding. The Sun (2008)The drawing at the bottom of this page hints at the drama that was unfolding inside the stadium. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Millions who otherwise take no interest in either horseracing or gambling will bet on and watch the action unfold. Times, Sunday Times (2013)The nation had a sense of a crisis unfolding and now has a sense of a government getting a grip. Times, Sunday Times (2010)They little dreamt that such a scene would unfold in Aachen. Times, Sunday Times (2006)The sombre build-up belied the way the game unfolded. The Sun (2015)Unknown to most of us, a crisis is unfolding in our oceans. Times, Sunday Times (2012)It's a spy story that unfolds slowly and demands concentration. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Talking of airports, a tragic scene unfolded prior to our flight out. Times, Sunday Times (2011)The action unfolds over two episodes on BBC1 tonight. The Sun (2012)A plausible narrative could have unfolded in this way. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Things unfolded quickly from there. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Some of the wounded, soaked in blood, were seen being ferried out of the building in shopping trolleys as a hostage crisis quickly unfolded. Times, Sunday Times (2013)