Library / English Dictionary

UNFOLD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Develop or come to a promising stage

Example:

Youth blossomed into maturity

Synonyms:

blossom; blossom forth; blossom out; unfold

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "unfold" is one way to...):

develop (grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

unfolding (a developmental process)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Spread out or open from a closed or folded state

Example:

spread your arms

Synonyms:

open; spread; spread out; unfold

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "unfold" is one way to...):

undo (cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "unfold"):

divaricate (spread apart)

exfoliate (spread by opening the leaves of)

grass (spread out clothes on the grass to let it dry and bleach)

butterfly (cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking)

uncross (change from a crossed to an uncrossed position)

splay (spread open or apart)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

fold (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Extend or stretch out to a greater or the full length

Example:

extend the TV antenna

Synonyms:

extend; stretch; stretch out; unfold

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "unfold" is one way to...):

change form; change shape; deform (assume a different shape or form)

Verb group:

extend (open or straighten out; unbend)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Open to the view

Example:

A walk through town will unfold many interesting buildings

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "unfold" is one way to...):

bring out; reveal; unveil (make visible)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

This protein plays a role in the unfolded protein response, cell motility and the deacetylation of both histones and tubulin.

(Histone Deacetylase 6, NCI Thesaurus)

I must now mention a circumstance which I would wish to forget myself, and which no obligation less than the present should induce me to unfold to any human being.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Harriet unfolded the parcel, and she looked on with impatience.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

This seems to have been a day of general elucidation, for this very morning first unfolded it to us.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

"This next thing I've called 'The Pot'," he said, unfolding the manuscript.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

As a chaperon, BiP binds to newly synthesized, unfolded mu immnoglobulin heavy chains prior to its assembly with light chains in the endoplasmic reticulum.

(OVA BiP Peptide, NCI Thesaurus)

Now a new study in Science provides evidence that the process of sharing DNA may be far more common than thought, offering a potential clue to how biodiversity unfolded.

(Study reveals surprising amount of gene flow among butterfly species, National Science Foundation)

His clear, pensive gray eyes, and quick, delicate expression, spoke of a nature which had unfolded far from the boisterous joys and sorrows of the world.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Acetylated histones have a reduced affinity for chromatin; this reduced histone-chromatin affinity may allow chromosomal unfolding, potentially enhancing the expression of genes related to tumor cell growth arrest and apoptosis.

(Arginine butyrate, NCI Thesaurus)

FAD-linked PS1 mutation downregulates the unfolded protein response and leads to vulnerability to ER stress.

(Alzheimer's Disease Pathway KEGG, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)