unfolded; unfolding; unfolds
1
2
: to open to the view : reveal
especially
: to make clear by gradual disclosure and often by recital
3
: to open out gradually to the view or understanding : become known
a panorama unfolds before their eyes
Synonyms
Examples of unfold in a Sentence
The couch unfolds to form a bed.
We'll have more news as events unfold.
We watched the drama unfold on live television.
As the story unfolds, we learn that the boy became an orphan when he was one year old.
Recent Examples on the Web
As the crisis unfolded Wednesday, military vehicles flooded into the plaza.
—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 June 2024
Her thread, in which Zellweger arrives to teach her some hard lessons about farming, unfolds as something of a perverse buddy comedy.
Where to watch Cold Mountain: Paramount+
8.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 27 June 2024
In a rural Mississippi town subsisting on its antebellum past, a reckoning unfolds.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 27 June 2024
But that die-off was unfolding hundreds of miles south of here.
—Max Chesnes, Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for unfold 
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 June 2024
Her thread, in which Zellweger arrives to teach her some hard lessons about farming, unfolds as something of a perverse buddy comedy.
Where to watch Cold Mountain: Paramount+
8.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 27 June 2024
In a rural Mississippi town subsisting on its antebellum past, a reckoning unfolds.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 27 June 2024
But that die-off was unfolding hundreds of miles south of here.
—Max Chesnes, Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for unfold
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfold.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unfold
Cite this Entry
“Unfold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfold. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unfold
verb
un·fold
ˌən-ˈfōld 
1
a
: to spread or cause to spread or straighten out from a folded position or arrangement
unfolded the map
b
: unwrap
3
: develop sense 1a
as the story unfolds
4
: to open out or cause to open out gradually to the view or understanding
new technology unfolds before us
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