disclose

disclose — verb

1. to give information to others about something that was not meant to be known, or

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to give information to others about something that was not meant to be known, or to bring something hidden into view

Example

The bank disclosed its financial records to the government last month.

The report disclosed that several factories were operating without safety permits.

disclose + that-clause for giving formal information

Common collocations
  • disclose information
  • disclose details
  • disclose records
  • disclose the truth
  • disclose documents
  • disclose data
  • refuse to disclose
  • required to disclose
  • failed to disclose
Synonyms
  • reveal

    less formal and more common; used for both secrets and non-secret information

  • expose

    suggests making something negative or shocking public, often involving wrongdoing

  • divulge

    similar formality to disclose, emphasises sharing information that was entrusted in confidence

Antonyms
  • conceal

    to keep something from being known on purpose

  • hide

    more general term for keeping something out of sight or knowledge

Grammar Patterns

disclose + noun phrase

disclose + that-clause

disclose + question word (how, what, why, etc.)

Usage Note

Frequently found in legal, financial, and official contexts. The physical meaning ('bring something hidden into view') is less common and has a literary tone.

Common Mistakes

She disclosed the surprise party to her friend.
She told her friend about the surprise party.
'disclose' is too formal for casual social situations and implies something secret or confidential.

disclose — noun

Word family

  • disclosure
    nounB2
  • undisclosed
    adjectiveC1
  • disclosed
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

The main difference among these four verbs is formality and connotation. 'Disclose' is the most formal, strongly associated with legal, financial, and official settings — companies disclose earnings, governments disclose documents, and the word signals a regulated information-sharing process. 'Reveal' is the most general and widely used, fitting everything from personal secrets ('She revealed her fears') to new discoveries ('Tests revealed the cause'). 'Expose' carries a strongly negative connotation of uncovering wrongdoing, scandal, or danger. 'Divulge' focuses on sharing confidential information that was entrusted to the speaker. Example: 'The journalist exposed the corruption in city hall.' 'He divulged the password to his colleague.' 'The bank disclosed its loan portfolio to the regulator.'

disclose ↗reveal ↗expose ↗divulge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make a disclosure
  • full disclosure
  • failure to disclose

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Old French 'desclos' (past participle of 'desclore' meaning 'to open'), which came from Latin 'discludere' — a combination of 'dis-' (apart) and 'claudere' (to shut). The original idea was 'to unshut' or 'to open up'. By the 1500s, the meaning had shifted from physically opening something to making information known.