unfolding

/ʌnˈfəʊld/ (bre, ipa) · [ənfˈoldɪŋ] /ʌnˈfoʊld/ (ame, ipa)

unfolding — verb

  • unfoldingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • unfoldings3rd person singular
  • unfoldinging-ing form
  • unfoldingedpast simple

1. to spread something flat after it has been folded, so that its full shape or sur

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to spread something flat after it has been folded, so that its full shape or surface can be seen and used

例句

Esteban unfolded the heavy map on the kitchen table to look for the hiking trail.

transitive: unfold + object (a map)

The old letter from her grandmother tore as Lien carefully unfolded it.

同義詞
  • open

    more general — anything closed, not specifically folded items

  • spread out

    phrasal verb, often for maps, sheets, or cloth on a surface

  • unfurl

    more formal, used for flags, sails, or umbrellas

反義詞
  • fold

    the direct opposite — to bend something over itself into a smaller shape

  • fold up

    phrasal verb opposite for furniture or collapsible items

文法句型

unfold + noun phrase (transitive)

unfold (intransitive, no object)

用法筆記

This sense can be either transitive (someone unfolds something) or intransitive (something unfolds by itself). The transitive pattern is far more common.

常見錯誤

❌She opened the folded chair and sat down.
✅She unfolded the folding chair and sat down.
💡'unfold' is the exact word for opening something that was folded; 'open' is too general.

2. when events, situations, or stories unfold, they happen and become clearer gradu

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

when events, situations, or stories unfold, they happen and become clearer gradually, like parts of a process being revealed one after another

例句

The political crisis in the capital continued to unfold over the following weeks.

subject: crisis / situation — no direct object

Yuna watched the drama unfold between the two friends without saying a single word.

pattern: watch/see + noun + unfold

同義詞
  • develop

    broader — can apply to skills, relationships, or ideas, not just events and stories

  • emerge

    suggests something comes into view after being hidden, slightly more formal

  • play out

    phrasal verb, more informal, often used for conflicts or plans

文法句型

situation + unfolds

story + unfolds

events + unfold

用法筆記

The subject of this sense is always a situation, story, event, or process — never a person. The sense is intransitive and rarely used in the passive.

常見錯誤

❌She unfolded the events of the meeting clearly.
✅The events of the meeting unfolded clearly.
💡People do not 'unfold' events in this sense; events unfold by themselves.

3. to present the details of a story, plan, or idea in an ordered way so that the l

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to present the details of a story, plan, or idea in an ordered way so that the listener gradually understands the whole thing

例句

Aunt Rosa unfolded the story of her travels through Southeast Asia one evening after dinner.

transitive: unfold + story/tale

The detective unfolded the details of the case step by step at the press conference.

adverb phrase: step by step

同義詞
  • reveal

    stronger — suggests something was hidden or secret before

  • narrate

    more formal, used specifically for telling a story

  • set out

    phrasal verb, common for plans and proposals

文法句型

unfold + story/plan/details

用法筆記

The subject of this sense is always a person who deliberately tells or explains something. This distinguishes it from Sense 2, where the situation itself unfolds.

常見錯誤

❌She unfolded the story of the company.' (when she means the company's growth)
✅She explained how the company grew.
💡'unfold' works for a planned telling of events, not for analytical descriptions.