unfold

English

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ʌnˈfəʊld/, X-SAMPA: /Vn"f@Uld/
• (GenAm) IPA: /ʌnˈfoʊld/, X-SAMPA: /Vn"foUld/

  Rhymes: -əʊld

Verb

unfold (third-person singular simple present unfolds, present participle unfolding, simple past and past participle unfolded)

1. To undo a folding.
2. (intransitive) To turn out to happen; to develop.
   • 2012 November 8, Scott Tobias, “Memento’s puzzle structure hides big twists and bigger profundities”, The AV Club:

     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.

3. (transitive) To reveal.
   • 1594, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, I.v.

     Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing

     To what I shall unfold.

Antonyms

• fold

Translations

To undo a folding

• Czech: rozprostřít (se) (cs)
• Danish: folde ud (da)
• Finnish: levittäytyä (fi)
• German: entfalten (de)

• Romanian: desfășura (ro)
• Spanish: desplegar (es)
• Telugu: మడత తీయు (te) (maData teeyu), మడత విప్పు (te) (maData vippu)

To turn out to happen; to develop

• Czech: vyvinout se (cs)
• Finnish: tapahtua (fi)

• Romanian: desfășura (ro)

To reveal

• Finnish: paljastaa (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: dérouler, déplier

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ontvouwen, open vouwen