divulge

/dai'vʌldʤ/

Thân thiện

The journalist refused to divulge her confidential source.

Definition

Verb: To make known or public (information that is private, secret, or previously known only to a few people); to disclose or reveal something confidential.

Usage

The verb "divulge" is used when someone shares information that was meant to be kept private or secret. It often implies a breach of confidence or the end of a period of secrecy. It is a transitive verb and is typically followed by the information being revealed (e.g., divulge a secret, divulge the details). It is commonly used in formal or serious contexts.

Examples

• The company refused to divulge its sales figures before the official report.
• Under pressure, the witness finally divulged the source of his information.
• She promised not to divulge the surprise party plans to anyone.
• The journalist was arrested for divulging state secrets.

Advanced Usage

• "to divulge something to someone": This structure specifies the recipient of the information.
  • He was hesitant to divulge his past to his new colleagues.
• "to divulge that...": Used with a clause to state the specific information revealed.
  • The report divulged that several safety protocols had been ignored.

Variants and Related Words

• Divulgence (noun): The act of divulging.
  • The divulgence of the document caused a political scandal.
• Divulgation (noun): A less common synonym for divulgence, meaning the act of making something publicly known.

Synonyms

• Disclose: To make new or secret information known.
• Reveal: To make previously unknown or secret information known to others.
• Uncover: To discover and show something that was hidden.
• Leak: To deliberately give secret information to the public, often through unofficial channels.

Antonyms

• Conceal: To keep something secret or hidden.
• Withhold: To refuse to give or share information.
• Suppress: To prevent something from being known or seen.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "To divulge a confidence": To reveal a secret that was shared in trust.
  • By telling others, he divulged a confidence and broke his friend's trust.
• "To divulge the contents": To reveal what is inside something, like a document or message.
  • The lawyer cannot divulge the contents of the will until the reading.

Học thuật

Verb

1. make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
   • The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold
   • The actress won't reveal how old she is
   • bring out the truth
   • he broke the news to her
   • unwrap the evidence in the murder case