reveal

CEFRB1

/ɹɪˈviːl/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make something known or show something that was hidden.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    A revelation; an uncovering of what was hidden in the scene or story.

Examples

  • It is not ethical for a doctor to reveal confidences.

  • On no account should you reveal the secret.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ɹɪˈvɪil]
  • /ɹɪˈvil/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To uncover; to show and display that which was hidden.

  2. To communicate that which could not be known or discovered without divine or supernatural instruction.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. The outer side of a window or door frame.

More examples

In context

  • The curtain rose to reveal an empty stage.

  • The comedian had been telling us about his sleep being disturbed by noise. Then came the reveal: he was sleeping on a bed in a department store.

  • c. 1625, Edmund Waller, Of the Danger His Majesty (being Prince) Escaped in the Road at St Andero Light was the wound, the prince's care unknown, / She might not, would not, yet reveal her own.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The scientist will blank the results of the experiment at the conference.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English revēlen, from Old French reveler, from Latin revēlāre (“to reveal, uncover”), from re- (“back, again”) + vēlāre (“to cover”), from vēlum (“a cloth, covering, curtain, veil, awning, sail”) (whence also English veil, English unveil, English voile, Russian вуаль (vualʹ), Russian завуали́ровать (zavualírovatʹ, “to veil”) (compare typologically)). Also compare typologically English uncloak, dismantle, divest, invest, unmask, Russian разобла́чать (razobláčatʹ) (akin to облаче́ние (oblačénije), срыва́ть покро́вы (sryvátʹ pokróvy) (покро́в (pokróv, “cover, covering”)).