divulge

divulge — verb

1. to tell secret or private information that you were trusted not to share with ot

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to tell secret or private information that you were trusted not to share with others

Example

Minho refused to divulge the name of his contact at the newspaper.

refuse + to divulge + noun phrase

The employee was fired for divulging company pricing details to a competitor.

passive: was fired for divulging [details] to [recipient]

Common collocations
  • divulge information
  • divulge details
  • divulge a secret
  • divulge the name
  • divulge the source
  • divulge the location
  • divulge the contents
  • divulge the identity
  • refuse to divulge
  • decline to divulge
  • fail to divulge
  • never divulge
  • reluctantly divulge
Synonyms
  • disclose

    more neutral and less secretive in tone; often used in formal/legal contexts without implying betrayal

  • reveal

    broader, includes both secrets and non-secret facts; less emphatic about a breach of trust

  • expose

    stronger negative sense of revealing wrongdoing or scandal, usually to the public

  • leak

    implies gradual or unauthorized release, often to the media; can be done anonymously

Antonyms
  • conceal

    to keep hidden deliberately; active opposite of divulging

  • withhold

    to keep back information that one could share; implies control rather than secrecy

Grammar Patterns

divulge + noun phrase

divulge + that-clause

divulge + wh-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used in negative constructions or with modal verbs (would not, could not, refuse to) to emphasize that someone is keeping a confidence. The person receiving the information is typically introduced by the preposition 'to'.

Common Mistakes

He divulged.
He divulged the secret.
divulge is transitive and must take an object; it cannot be used alone.
She divulged him about the plan.
She divulged the plan to him.
the person told is an indirect object with 'to', not a direct object.

Word family

  • divulgence
    nounC1
  • divulged
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve making information known, but they differ in formality, intent, and the nature of the information. 'Divulge' is the most formal and strongly implies a breach of trust or a confidence — you divulge something you were trusted to keep private. 'Disclose' is a neutral, often legal term for giving out information regardless of secrecy (e.g. companies must disclose financial data). 'Reveal' is the broadest everyday word, covering facts, feelings, and secrets without necessarily suggesting wrongdoing. 'Expose' carries a moral charge — it suggests uncovering wrongdoing, scandal, or hidden truth (e.g. the journalist exposed corruption). 'Leak' suggests a gradual or unauthorized release, often anonymous, to the media. For example: a whistleblower might leak documents to a reporter, who then divulges the contents to the public and exposes government misconduct.

disclose ↗reveal ↗expose ↗leak ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • refuse to divulge
  • decline to divulge
  • fail to divulge

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'divulgare' (to make public, spread among the people), formed from 'dis-' (apart, in different directions) + 'vulgare' (to make common, spread), which comes from 'vulgus' (the common people, the crowd). The word entered English in the 15th century through Old French 'divulguer'. Its original sense of 'making widely known to the public' later narrowed to the modern meaning of revealing something meant to be kept secret.