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to conceal

to conceal

282 3.7
To hide something so others cannot see or find it
  • verb
  • /kənˈsiːl/
translation icon : ocultar
  • The spy used a false identity to conceal his true mission from the authorities.
  • try to conceal
  • conceal the truth
  • conceal the fact

OK, now it is time to conceal and make these look flawless.

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Examples

  • She tried to conceal her surprise when she received the unexpected gift.

  • This is going to even out my skin tone and conceal a lot of my blemishes.

  • It's amazing how easy it is to conceal small things.

  • There were lots of ways to conceal these cameras, and we'll use them all.

  • It's hard to carry, hard to conceal.

  • "It's okay," Christine said, obviously struggling to conceal her own fear from her daughter.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Let's try to conceal these scars.

  • The spread of the Internet could make it harder for autocrats to conceal government waste and corruption.

    Academic text (2011)
  • If he had a fortune, he carefully concealed it and lived off his salary.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Nautical rope was cut to length to conceal the seams where the panels met.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to hide
vsto conceal
1.0

To keep something so others cannot see or understand it

keeps things secret to prevent discovery rather than only blocking sight
to cover up
vsto conceal
314 3.7

To hide something so people cannot see or find out about it

is the simple verb for keeping things secret or out of sight generally
to bury
vsto conceal
254 1.6

To cover something completely so it cannot be seen

means physical complete placement under material rather than general secrecy
to hold back
vsto conceal
108 4.2

Keep yourself from showing feelings or telling others

is about keeping things unknown or not found rather than merely not expressing them
to obscure
vsto conceal
86 7.0

Make something hard to see or understand

keeps things fully secret or out of view rather than merely unclear
to keep a secret
vsto conceal
76 2.6

To not tell anyone private information

applies to keeping information secret, not physical objects or places
to veil
vsto conceal
24 5.0

To cover something so others cannot easily see or understand it

is used for both physical screening and figurative masking, not only secrecy
to blot out
vsto conceal
8 5.4

Hide something so you cannot see it or remember it

keeps things secret so others cannot find or discover them, not erase
to enshroud
vsto conceal
  • Literature
1 8.2

To cover something completely so you cannot see or understand it

focuses on complete placement that also makes meaning unclear
to secrete
vsto conceal
1 8.1

Hide something carefully where others cannot find it

keeps things secret but not necessarily with safekeeping as the purpose

Antonyms

2.3

Show something that was hidden or secret

234 4.1

To tell people information that was secret

How Hidden

to bury
254 1.6
to secrete
1 8.1
to conceal
282 3.7
to cover
1.0

Surface Forms

conceal infinitive
concealed past
concealed past participle
concealing present participle
conceals third person singular

Etymology

Conceal comes from the Latin parts con- ('completely') and celare ('to hide'), so you can imagine making something fully hidden. That's why to conceal something is to hide it or keep it secret.