unfold

«unfold» in Mova's school dictionary: To open something that was folded so it lies flat or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (unfold, unfolds, unfolded, unfolding)

meaning for a pupil

1) To open something that was folded so it lies flat or spreads out. tree →

2) (of a story or events) To happen or become known little by little. tree →

3) (of a leaf, flower or wing) To open out. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life you unfold a map, a letter or a towel. In stories and the news «events unfolded» means things happened one after another and we learnt about them slowly. In maths, unfolding a paper shape or a box shows its net. Phrases: «unfold a map», «as the story unfolds», «watch events unfold».

examples

• Unfold the map so we can find the beach. tree →
• She unfolded the letter and began to read. tree →
• As the story unfolds, we find out who the thief is. tree →
• We watched the race unfold on the big screen. tree →
• In spring the new leaves unfold on the trees. tree →
• The butterfly slowly unfolded its wings. tree →
• If you unfold the cereal box, you can see its net. tree →
• Oh! what wonders and splendours unfolded themselves before Elsa’s astonished eyes! tree →

note

Regular verb: unfolded, unfolding. The opposite of «fold». The prefix «un-» here means «undo», not «not». For a story it is often used without an object: «the plot unfolds».

In the corpora

• Every prudent man dealeth with forethought; but a fool unfoldeth folly.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «unfold» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.