Word
Of
The
Day
divulge
divulge \dih-VULJ\
verb
To divulge something, especially secret or private information, is to make it known.
// Rather than
divulge the baby name we’ve chosen, we’re waiting till the little one arrives to make introductions.
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Examples:
“
Sun Ra’s agent had called, he said. ... The Arkestra was heading out on tour soon, to Europe, and Sonny wanted the three of us to join him. ... After we’d calmed down, Don
divulged the hitch: the tour would take us away for the school year’s last weeks, meaning we would miss exams and also all the end-of-college parties.” — Michael Lowenthal,
Place Envy: Essays in Search of Orientation, 2026
Did you know?
Information divulged is typically secret, or known only to insiders, and it isn’t usually shouted from the rooftops. But when
divulge first entered English in the 15th century, it did so as a synonym of
proclaim: divulging involved declaring or announcing something to the public, a duty of
town criers from
Lizard Point to
Dunnet Head. The word’s source is the Latin verb
vulgare, “to make known,” which traces ultimately back to the Latin noun
vulgus, meaning “common people” or “mob.” While nowadays
divulge can presumably involve blabbing to the
rabble, the word usually implies a more careful and considered approach to sharing sensitive information.