Unfold Meaning
/ʌnˈfoʊld/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo undo a folding.
verbTo become unfolded.
Sentence Examples
Let's unfold the map on the table and discuss it.
New questions will be asked and new debates will unfold.
CEFR Practice Quiz
As the detective gathered more evidence, the mystery began to ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We watched the drama ____ on the stage, as the characters faced several difficult and very emotional choices today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English unfolden, from Old English unfealdan (“to unfold”), equivalent to un- + fold.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Unfold thy forehead gathered into frowns."
— [1633], George Herbert, edited by [Nicholas Ferrar], The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC:
"Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"Memento unfolds over 22 scenes—or, more accurately, 22 strands of time, the main strand (in color) moving backward in increments, and another strand (in black and white) going forward, though the two overlap profoundly."
— 2012 November 8, Scott Tobias, “Memento’s puzzle structure hides big twists and bigger profundities”, in The AV Club:
"The protests in Brazil are unfolding just as its long and heralded economic boom may be coming to an end."
— 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in The New York Times, retrieved 21 Jun 2013:
"Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing To what I shall unfold."
— c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
As the detective gathered more evidence, the mystery began to ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We watched the drama ____ on the stage, as the characters faced several difficult and very emotional choices today.