What does "reveal" mean?
The outer side of a window or door frame.
Reveal
/ɹɪˈviːl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The outer side of a window or door frame.
- Grammar: reveal is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: expose, uncover, unveil, acknowledge.
- Useful contrasts: bemused, bemusing, bewitching.
- Usage evidence: It is not ethical for a doctor to reveal confidences.
How to use "reveal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "reveal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "reveal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "reveal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "reveal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "reveal" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "expose" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "reveal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The outer side of a window or door frame.
"The building has a one-story rusticated limestone base and a canopied entrance with a doorman beneath an attractive, rusticated limestone window reveal on the second floor and a very impressive and ornate limestone window reveal on the third floor flanked by female figureshttps://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/carnegie-hill/1105-park-avenue/review/7216."
- 2 A revelation; an uncovering of what was hidden in the scene or story. informal, usually
"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."
Verb
- 1 To uncover; to show and display that which was hidden. transitive
"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."
- 2 make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret wordnet
- 3 To communicate that which could not be known or discovered without divine or supernatural instruction. transitive
- 4 make manifest wordnet
- 5 disclose directly or through prophets wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"It is not ethical for a doctor to reveal confidences."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "reveal"?
Common synonyms include: expose, uncover, unveil, acknowledge, acquaint, admit.
How do you use "reveal" in a sentence?
It is not ethical for a doctor to reveal confidences.
How do you pronounce "reveal"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈviːl/.
Etymology
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, unmask, Russian разобла́чать (razobláčatʹ) (akin to облаче́ние (oblačénije), срыва́ть покро́вы (sryvátʹ pokróvy) (покро́в (pokróv, “cover, covering”)).