Meanings
present singular third person unfurls · participle present unfurling · participle past unfurled · past unfurled
- To unroll or release something that had been rolled up, typically a sail or a flag.
They unfurled the flag at the start of the festival.
1 more example
Release the line by pulling down and unfurl the jib by pulling on the two jibsheets.
(Can we date this quote?), “RS Quest Rigging Instructions”, in California State University, Sacramento, page 2Synonyms: splay
- figurativelyTo roll out or debut anything.
When will we be unfurling the new feature?
1 more example
Befitting the gray-brown clothes, bagged eyes, and licorice hair of its figures, Memoir Of A Snail unfurls the spiraling tale of two orphans persevering on Australia’s fringes.
2024 October 23, Jacob Oller, “Clay weepy Memoir Of A Snail crawls through a gauntlet of misery”, in AV Club - intransitiveTo open up by unrolling.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo unroll or release something that had been rolled up, typically a sail or a flag.
More synonyms by meaning
verbunroll, unfold, or spread out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled state
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
- Proto-Germanic*anda-
- Proto-West Germanic*anda-
- Old Englishand-
- Old Englishon-
- Middle Englishon-
- Englishun-
- Englishfurl
- Englishunfurl
Translations
Bulgarian разгъвам, развявам
- разгъвам (razgăvam)to unroll or release
- развявам (razvjavam)to unroll or release
Dutch ontvouwen, ontrollen
- ontvouwento unroll or release
- ontrollento unroll or release
- afrollento unroll or release
- uitrollento unroll or release
Esperanto malvolvi
- malvolvito unroll or release
Finnish aukaista, avata
- aukaistato unroll or release
- avatato unroll or release
- esitelläto roll out or debut
- julkistaato roll out or debut
French déployer, dérouler
- déployerto unroll or release
- déroulerto unroll or release
German entfalten, entrollen
- entfaltento unroll or release
- entrollento unroll or release
- aufrollento unroll or release
Hebrew הוֹצִיא לָאוֹר, שִׁחְרֵר
- הוֹצִיא לָאוֹר (hotsí la'ór)to roll out or debut
- שִׁחְרֵר (shikhrér)to roll out or debut
- גִּלָּה (gilá)to turn out or unfold
Irish scaoil
- scaoilto unroll or release
Italian srotolare, spiegare
- srotolareto unroll or release
- spiegareto unroll or release
Latin explicō
- explicōto unroll or release
Māori tākiri
- tākirito unroll or release
Norwegian folde ut, rulle ut
- folde utto unroll or release
- rulle utto unroll or release
Polish rozwinąć, rozwijać
- rozwinąćto unroll or release
- rozwijaćto unroll or release
Portuguese desfraldar
- desfraldarto unroll or release
Romanian desfășura
- desfășurato unroll or release
Russian развёртывать, развора́чивать
- развёртывать (razvjórtyvatʹ)to unroll or release
- развора́чивать (razvoráčivatʹ)to unroll or release
Spanish desplegar, lagar
- desplegarto unroll or release
- lagarto unroll or release
Swedish veckla ut
- veckla utto unroll or release
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with unfurl
Anagrams
Cite this entry
unfurl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfurl
“unfurl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfurl. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unfurl,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unfurl.
Source: unfurl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.