Meaning & use
conceal
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To put something where it cannot be seen or found.
Grammar: Takes an object: she concealed the key.
Patterns
- conceal something from someone
- conceal something in something
He concealed the gift under a blanket.
Tall hedges concealed the house from the road.
The thief concealed the jewels in a hollow book.
verbtransitive
To keep a fact, feeling or intention secret so that others do not learn it.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with from: conceal the truth from the police.
Patterns
- conceal something from someone
- conceal your feelings
She couldn't conceal her disappointment.
The company concealed the defect from customers.
He tried to conceal that he was nervous.
Word forms
| third person singular | conceals |
|---|---|
| past tense | concealed |
| past participle | concealed |
| -ing form | concealing |
Common combinations
- conceal the truth
- He tried to conceal the truth from his parents.
- conceal evidence
- It is a crime to conceal evidence.
- conceal your identity
- The singer wore a mask to conceal her identity.
- conceal a weapon
- Carrying a concealed weapon requires a permit.
- barely conceal
- She could barely conceal her excitement.
- conceal from view
- Fog concealed the mountain from view.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hide
- Hide is the common everyday word, while conceal is more formal and often suggests deliberate secrecy.
- cover up
- Cover up stresses hiding wrongdoing, whereas conceal can be neutral.
- mask
- Mask suggests hiding something behind a surface or false appearance, such as a feeling.
- disguise
- Disguise means changing how something looks so it is not recognized, which is different from simply keeping it out of sight.
Opposites
Word family
- concealment noun
- the act of hiding something
- concealed adjective
- hidden from view
- concealer noun
- makeup used to hide blemishes
- unconcealed adjective
- not hidden, obvious
Commonly confused: conceal or conseal? conceal or cancel?
conceal vs conseal
Conseal is a common misspelling; the correct form is conceal.
conceal vs cancel
Cancel means to call off, which is unrelated to hiding something.
Practice
He tried to ___ his surprise, but his face gave it away.
Choose one answer.
Conceal means to hide, and the clause shows the hiding failed; reveal, announce and admit would not make sense with the 'but his face gave it away' contrast.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “conceal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.