conceal
v.to hide something so that other people cannot see it or find it. You use this when you want to keep a secret or keep an object out of sight.
v.to prevent something from being seen or discovered; to withhold information or hide an object from view. Transitive — requires a direct object.
“She tried to conceal the gift behind her back.”
“The spy used a hollow book to conceal the stolen documents during the border crossing.”
“The defendant was accused of attempting to conceal evidence by deleting several incriminating emails shortly before the investigation began.”
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is often used in formal or legal contexts instead of 'hide'.
“But for those who need to opt out, such as to conceal secret phones, advice for iPhones, Androids and other devices is listed on the government website , external .”
“The destruction of the tea was a criminal act, and participants had strong reasons to conceal their identities and avoid punishment by the British Crown.”
From Middle English concelen, from Old French conceler (“hide, disguise”), from Latin concelāre, infinitive of concelō (“carefully disguise”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.