reveal may apply to supernatural or inspired revelation of truths beyond the range of ordinary human vision or reason.
divine will as revealed in sacred writings
disclose may imply a discovering but more often an imparting of information previously kept secret.
candidates must disclose their financial assets
divulge implies a disclosure involving some impropriety or breach of confidence.
refused to divulge an anonymous source
tell implies an imparting of necessary or useful information.
told them what he had overheard
betray implies a divulging that represents a breach of faith or an involuntary or unconscious disclosure.
a blush that betrayed her embarrassment
Example Sentences
Verb She would not reveal the secret. The test revealed the true cause of death. It was revealed that they stole over $1 million. They revealed the plans for the new building. The expression on his face revealed how he felt. The curtain was lifted to reveal the grand prize. Pulling up the carpeting revealed the home's beautiful hardwood floors. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And this should in turn reveal if the expansion rate of the universe is changing over great distances and thus time. Robert Lea, Popular Mechanics, 14 Sep. 2022 Crisp said Parker disguised herself to appear pregnant, faked ultrasounds, had a gender-reveal party and even posted about her fake pregnancy on social media. Chris Harris, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2022 The new images reveal numerous structures inside the nebula, including proplyds -- a central protostar surrounded by a disk of dust and gas in which planets form. Katie Hunt, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 Even with such gaps and erasures in the data, the paper did reveal some potential avenues for intervention. Eric Boodman, STAT, 11 Sep. 2022 In the premiere, VR goggles reveal that the fake universe is way more fun than what's left out here. Darren Franich, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022 What did the robots reveal about the Thwaites Glacier? Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 In just over a week, Apple will reveal the iPhone 14 at its latest event in California. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 30 Aug. 2022 In addition to the lifetime achievement honors, the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony will reveal the winners in a number of categories including artist of the year and album of the year. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 23 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English revelen, from Anglo-French reveler, from Latin revelare to uncover, reveal, from re- + velare to cover, veil, from velum veil
Noun (2)
alteration of earlier revale, probably ultimately from Middle French ravaler to reduce the depth of (masonry or wood), literally, to take back down, from Old French, from re- + avaler to let fall — more at vail