unveil
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to show a new product, plan, or piece of art to the public for the first time.
to formally present or introduce a new product, policy, or creative work to an audience.
Simple“The company will unveil its new smartphone at the conference next week.”
In context“The tech giant is expected to unveil a suite of innovative software tools designed to streamline remote collaboration across global teams.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to remove a physical cover, like a cloth, from a new statue or painting.
to remove a physical veil or covering from an object as part of a formal ceremony.
Simple“The mayor arrived to unveil the new statue in the town square.”
In context“During the gala, the artist was invited to unveil the portrait, which had been kept under a velvet cloth until the final toast.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
to make a secret or a hidden plan known to others.
to disclose information or intentions that were previously kept private or confidential.
Simple“The government finally decided to unveil the details of the new tax law.”
In context“The investigative report promised to unveil the systemic corruption that had plagued the department for over a decade.”
“The government is due to unveil a strategy about preparing for national emergencies later this year.”
“In a separate Newsmax interview, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also suggested that the US may unveil new economic measures to further damage Iran’s economy in the coming days.”
From Middle English *unveilen (suggested by past participle unveiled, vnueylyd (“unveiled”)). Equivalent to un- + veil. Ultimately from Latin velum (whence also English voile, English reveal, Russian вуа́ль (vuálʹ), Russian завуали́ровать (zavualírovatʹ) (compare typologically)). Also compare typologically uncloak, unmask, Russian разобла́чать (razobláčatʹ) (akin to облаче́ние (oblačénije)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.