unfoldun‧fold /ʌnˈfəʊld $ -ˈfoʊld/ ●●○ verb 
As the story unfolds, we learn more about Max’s childhood.2[intransitive] if a series of events unfolds, they happen: He had watched the drama unfold from a nearby ship.3[intransitive, transitive] if you unfold something that was folded, or if it unfolds, it opens out: He unfolded the map.
VERB TABLE
unfold
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | unfold |
| he, she, it | unfolds | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | unfolded |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have unfolded |
| he, she, it | has unfolded | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had unfolded |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will unfold |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have unfolded |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am unfolding |
| he, she, it | is unfolding | |
| you, we, they | are unfolding | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was unfolding |
| you, we, they | were unfolding | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been unfolding |
| he, she, it | has been unfolding | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been unfolding |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be unfolding |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been unfolding |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "I must lay the table,'' she said, unfolding a clean white linen tablecloth.
- As the story unfolds, our image of Claudia changes.
- Eileen struggled to unfold a large map.
- He took out his handkerchief, unfolded it, and blew his nose.
- Miss Male nervously folded and unfolded her napkin as she spoke.
- The receipt had been folded and unfolded so many times that it was almost in pieces.
- They unfolded the tablecloth and set out the picnic.
- As the case against Wooten unfolds, Mustaf is expected to continue playing a leading role.
- Because as the days and weeks unfold so will the true identity of her baby.
- Even those remaining were listening to the drama unfolding outside the hostelry.
- Reno unfolded herself, pushed her bulk out of the car, and peeled her dresses off the back seat.
- Roy Anderson took great pains to ensure there were no more surprises for any of the players in the unfolding drama.
- The woman turned and looked frankly puzzled, unfolding the note.
Longman Language Activatorto open something that is folded
· He took out his handkerchief, unfolded it, and blew his nose.· Eileen struggled to unfold a large map.· "I must lay the table,'' she said, unfolding a clean white linen tablecloth.
to open a packet or something that is folded or rolled · Aren't you going to open your letter?· Judy opened another pack of cigarettes.· When I received the parcel, it had already been opened.
to open a package by removing the paper that is wrapped around it: · I just love unwrapping Christmas presents!· Sarah sat down and unwrapped her sandwiches.
to open something that was folded, such as a piece of paper or cloth: · They unfolded the tablecloth and set out the picnic.· The receipt had been folded and unfolded so many times that it was almost in pieces.
to spread out something that was rolled up, so that it lies flat: · He unrolled the map and spread it on the table.· While we were admiring the rugs, the shopkeeper started to unroll a splendid carpet.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He had watched the drama unfold from a nearby ship.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
He had watched the drama unfold from a nearby ship. (=happen, usually in an exciting or unexpected way)· I watched the dramatic events unfold from my window.
· We spread out our maps on the floor.
· When you visit the country, you begin to appreciate the size of the tragedy that is unfolding.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· He had watched the drama unfold from a support vessel.· Whether such efforts will succeed constitutes the worldwide drama that is unfolding largely outside the spotlight but will shape the next century.· Stuck in this predicament the four travellers become embroiled in a drama unfolding in the house nearby.· Bruno, somewhat impervious to the drama unfolding in front of him, was still huffing and puffing in his monster role.· All of which meant that Sanchez watched the subsequent drama unfold from a television monitor.· Awareness becomes heightened, and everyday domestic dramas unfold into staggering universal truths.· It dramatically dwindled so that fewer than 500 were on hand to see the final drama unfold on the fifth morning.· By ten the next morning, some twenty thousand people were on hand to watch the drama unfold.
· She gazed at the pages as Carolyn read, as if she could see the events unfolding there.· It was news because it was an unpredictable event unfolding in real time.· Much though we might sometimes like it to be otherwise, events unfold as they happen.· After all, when events unfold in the real world, they do so without musical accompaniment.· As these events were unfolding we were finding that our Partnership's lifestyle magazines were going from strength to strength.· Dave Garrod recalls that the men of his track were unprepared for the events that unfolded.· No-one can predict how events will unfold.· At first the momentous events unfolding in Rome seemed barely relevant.
· They make a delightful, spontaneously spellbound audience, to whom one could show history unfolding as if with a magic lantern.· That afternoon, another bit of history was unfolding.· Indeed, if the stroke were a vigorous one, all kinds of subsequent histories might potentially unfold upon the table.
· Perception is the way a person actually sees life unfolding around him or herself.· That kind of story only sells in real life, when it unfolds so unexpectedly before your eyes.
· The two plots unfold in quite similar ways.· No central person or religious organization planned or coordinated it; no single plot unfolded.· It is time for the plot to unfold.· The plot unfolds engagingly, with some very entertaining video segments.
· There is space for a story to unfold.· As the story unfolds, first Axel and then Alec come to wield extraordinary power in Washington without running for elective office.· I saw the story unfolding minute by minute at work.· She felt she could influence the outcome of the screenplay by her concentrated thoughts as the story unfolded.· But within the ranks at the local club, an even more remarkable story is unfolding.· A complicated story unfolds, with Mitchum desperately trying to extricate himself from the trap.· These are but few of the dramatic effects produced with directional sound and subtle lighting as the story of Rye unfolds.· As the story unfolded, many of the details of the August 22 meeting surfaced.
· What the hon. Member for Staffordshire, South said about the tragedy unfolding before us is right.· Across the continent in New York City a similar tragedy was unfolding.· On the way out, a policeman told him about the tragedy that was unfolding at the far end of the ground.· Price data can not capture the scale of the human tragedy unfolding across the developing world.
VERB· Here, it seemed, twenty years ago, the mystery of what had befallen Heather Mallender had begun to unfold.
· She gazed at the pages as Carolyn read, as if she could see the events unfolding there.· Genetically predetermined stages are seen as unfolding naturally.· As London's largest independent provider of community care we have seen these changes unfold at first hand.· The quarterback sees all this unfold, and throws to one of them.· I saw the story unfolding minute by minute at work.· Perception is the way a person actually sees life unfolding around him or herself.· That is my forecast, although I will not be here to see it unfold.· It dramatically dwindled so that fewer than 500 were on hand to see the final drama unfold on the fifth morning.
· He had watched the drama unfold from a support vessel.· The simple joy of watching a game slowly unfold was replaced by the chrome brutality of the box score.· It has been disturbing to watch this argument unfold without much awareness that a huge crisis may be just around the corner.· It was not reasonable to expect a man like that to sit and watch the event unfold.· All of which meant that Sanchez watched the subsequent drama unfold from a television monitor.· So I watched the tragicomedy unfold before me and believed it.· We now watch these matters unfold, from a new seat at the ringside.· By ten the next morning, some twenty thousand people were on hand to watch the drama unfold.
WORD FAMILYnounfoldfolderadjectivefoldedfoldingverbfoldunfold
1[intransitive, transitive] if a story unfolds, or if someone unfolds it, it is told: As the story unfolds, we learn more about Max’s childhood.2[intransitive] if a series of events unfolds, they happen: He had watched the drama unfold from a nearby ship.3[intransitive, transitive] if you unfold something that was folded, or if it unfolds, it opens out: He unfolded the map.