concealcon‧ceal /kənˈsiːl/ ●●○ verb [transitive] formal 
The shadows concealed her as she crept up to the house. The path was concealed by long grass. a concealed weapon► see thesaurus at hide2to hide your real feelings or the truth: She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.conceal something from somebody She was taking drugs and trying to conceal it from me.—concealment noun [uncountable]: deliberate concealment of his activities
WORD ORIGINconceal
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French conceler, from Latin concelare, from com- ( ➔ COM-) + celare ‘to hide’VERB TABLE
conceal
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | conceal |
| he, she, it | conceals | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | concealed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have concealed |
| he, she, it | has concealed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had concealed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will conceal |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have concealed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am concealing |
| he, she, it | is concealing | |
| you, we, they | are concealing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was concealing |
| you, we, they | were concealing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been concealing |
| he, she, it | has been concealing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been concealing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be concealing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been concealing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A wide-brimmed hat concealed her graying hair.
- Customs officers found a kilogram of cocaine that Smith had concealed inside his suitcase.
- Hawkins was incapable of concealing how he felt from his close friends.
- He managed to conceal the fact that he had been in prison and so got a job as a security officer.
- Her legs were concealed to the ankle by a loose flowing skirt.
- I yawned, not bothering to conceal my boredom.
- Kim could barely conceal her annoyance that I had arrived so late.
- Several drug companies are accused of concealing information from the Food and Drug Administration.
- Several kilos of drugs had been concealed in the back of the truck.
- The secret police had concealed microphones in the walls.
- But lately he'd been concealing this whiff with his favourite aftershave, Rampage.
- If he was surprised by the grubbiness of the ill-equipped Vicarage kitchen he concealed it.
- My fatigue pants were so baggy they almost concealed my combat boots.
- Several times, he is seen rummaging about in the garbage bag, possibly trying to conceal something.
- Why had Aranyos concealed this from him?
THESAURUS
to make something difficult to see or find, or to not show your true feelings: · He hid the gun in his pocket.· She tried to hide her anger.· The actress put up a hand to hide her face from the cameras.
formal to hide something, especially by carefully putting it somewhere. Also used when talking about hiding your feelings, especially in negative sentences: · Several kilos of drugs were concealed in the back of the truck.· He could not conceal his feelings any longer.· The girl quickly concealed the photograph she had been gazing at.
to put something over another thing that you do not want people to see, in order to hide it completely: · People cover up cracks with wallpaper or tiles.· I used some make-up to cover up the spots.· She was wearing a thin shawl to cover up the bruises on her arm.
to make someone or something seem like a different person or thing, so that other people cannot recognize them: · She managed to get into the camp by disguising herself as a soldier.· The men had disguised the vessel as fishing boat.
to hide something by covering it with materials that make it look like the things around it: · We camouflaged the plane by covering it with leaves.· The troops used charcoal to camouflage their faces.· Soldiers had camouflaged the trucks with branches and dirt.
literary to make it difficult to see something clearly: · The view was obscured by mist.· His body was found, partially obscured by bushes, at the bottom of a shallow canyon.
to make something less noticeable, for example a taste, a smell, a sound, or a feeling: · The lemon helps to mask the taste of the fish.· Helen had turned on the radio to mask the noise of the traffic.· He did little to mask his contempt.
Longman Language Activatorto make something difficult to see by being in front of or over it · Low clouds hid the top of the mountain.· Most of his face was hidden by a beard.· The bushes had become overgrown and now hid the entrance to the garden.hide something from view · A pair of mirrored sunglasses hid her eyes from view.
formal to hide something by covering it: · A wide-brimmed hat concealed her graying hair.· Her legs were concealed to the ankle by a loose flowing skirt.
to be over something or on top of it so that it cannot be seen: · The make-up didn't cover her bruises as well as she'd hoped.· He pulled back a corner of the blanket that covered the dead body.
to hide something completely by being in front of it: · In the back yard, a hedge neatly screens the vegetable plot.screen something (off) from something: · The house is screened from the road by a row of tall trees.
to cover something so completely that you are not able to see any of it: blot out something: · The clouds of dust grew heavier till they blotted out the desert and the moon.blot something out: · The shadow of someone in the back of the theater blotted the movie screen out for a moment.
to hide something especially by putting it in a secret place to make something difficult to see or find, for example by putting it somewhere secret, or by covering it: · Where can we hide these presents so the kids don't find them?hide something in/under/behind etc something: · They put the money in a small box and hid it under the bed.· Some cameras are so small they can be hidden in a reporter's baseball cap.hide something from somebody: · I used to hide his cigarettes from him so he couldn't smoke.
formal to hide something carefully, especially by covering it: conceal something in/under/behind etc something: · The secret police had concealed microphones in the walls.· Several kilos of drugs had been concealed in the back of the truck.
informal to hide money or something that you should not have: stash something in/under/behind etc something: · Where did you stash the drugs?· The late president supposedly stashed millions of dollars in Swiss bank accounts.
to hide something by putting something else on or over it: · Embarrassed, she reached for a towel to cover her body.cover something with something: · When he walked into the room, she quickly covered the letter with a pillow.cover something up/cover up something (=cover something completely): · You could probably cover up the scratches with a little bit of paint, and no one will ever notice.
to hide something by putting it in or on the ground and covering it with soil, sand etc: · Snakes usually bury their eggs.bury something in/under etc something: · He murdered his wife and buried her body in a field.· The dog buried one of my slippers in the backyard.
formal to carefully hide small, valuable objects: · No one knew where the old woman had secreted her jewels.secrete something in/behind/among etc something: · He showed me the coin briefly and then secreted it in some dark corner of his house.
to hide your feelings to deliberately not show what you are feeling or thinking: · He hides his real feelings under that big smile.· "That's OK," she said, trying to hide her disappointment.hide something from somebody: · I tried to hide my anxiety from the rest of the family by pretending that everything was normal.
to not show in your face, voice, or movements what you really think or feel: · If she was surprised, she didn't show it.· My husband never shows emotion, so I never know if he's upset.
formal to hide your feelings or intentions especially when you have to make an effort to do this: · Kim could barely conceal her annoyance that I had arrived so late.· I yawned, not bothering to conceal my boredom.conceal something from somebody: · Hawkins was incapable of concealing how he felt from his close friends.
to avoid showing your true feelings or intentions by pretending to feel something else: · Kate gave a cheerful smile, somehow managing to disguise her embarrassment.· "That's great!" she cried, unable to disguise her excitement.· He often masked his feelings of guilt by becoming angry at the people he had wronged.
to not allow yourself to show your feelings, especially if you are angry, worried, or upset - use this especially when you think it would be better for someone to show their feelings so they can be dealt with: bottle something up: · It's not healthy to bottle all your feelings up like that.· The anger that he had bottled up inside him finally exploded.keep something bottled up: · She wanted to cry but she kept it bottled up inside.
formal to not allow yourself to feel or show strong feelings such as anger, sadness, or love, especially when you have difficulty controlling these feelings: · She had had to suppress her feelings for George throughout his long marriage to her friend.· Finally Glen could suppress his anger no longer and he lashed out at his mother.
formal to deliberately stop yourself from having or expressing particular feelings, especially because you are ashamed of them, in a way that may have harmful mental effects: · Individuals who repress their sexual desires often suffer from psychological problems.· Denying or repressing sorrow often seems the easiest way out when confronted with death.
to pretend that you are happy or confident when in fact you are very upset about something but you do not want to show this: · When she lost her job she put on a brave face and said it didn't matter.· Most of his teammates put up a brave front when they talked about his departure.put on a brave face/put up a brave front on: · The speech was given to put a brave face on the president's declining popularity.
to hide information · He took off his ring to hide the fact that he was married.· She somehow hid the fact she couldn't read throughout her schooldays.hide something from somebody · The agency has been criticized for being too secretive and hiding information from the public.have nothing to hide · Ask me anything you want - I have nothing to hide.
formal to hide facts or the truth about something, especially by not giving people enough information about it or by lying: · He managed to conceal the fact that he had been in prison and so got a job as a security officer.conceal something from somebody: · Several drug companies are accused of concealing information from the Food and Drug Administration.
to do things that prevent people from finding out mistakes or unpleasant facts: cover up something: · Lewis asked his wife to lie in an attempt to cover up the murder.cover something up: · Kate has made some big mistakes, and she won't be able to cover them up for long.
formal to prevent important facts or information from being made known in a public or official situation: · Police were accused of suppressing evidence that might have proved that the men were innocent.· The CIA has often tried to suppress reports that are embarrassing to the agency.
informal to make a careful and deliberate attempt to stop people finding out about something wrong or criminal that you have done, by telling lies, hiding facts etc: · She covered her tracks by saying that she'd been at a friend's house all that evening.· Davis covered his tracks so well that no one could prove he had received any of the money.
informal to try to keep something wrong that has happened a secret: · All the evidence pointing to McKay's guilt has been swept under the carpet.· Before the scandal broke, an attempt had been made to sweep the senator's illegal activities under the carpet.
to hide yourself to go somewhere where you cannot be easily found or seen: · Dad's coming. Quick - hide!hide under/behind/in etc: · Dale hid behind some garbage cans in the alley until the men passed.· The cat always hides under the bed when we have visitors.hide from: · Why is he hiding from us? Is he afraid?
to go to a safe place where you can hide for a long time because you are in danger or because the police are looking for you: · He went into hiding soon after the government denounced him.· Police believe the robbers have gone into hiding.
to hide from people who are trying to catch you, and to make sure you do not attract any attention until it is safe to come out: · If you don't want to go back to jail, you'd better lie low for a while.· Weaver had been lying low at his sister's apartment for the past week.
to hide somewhere and not go out at all, especially because the police are looking for you: · We were all planning to hole up till the trouble blew over.hole up in/on etc something: · The gang holed up in a cheap hotel for a few weeks.be holed up in/on etc something: · The FBI believes that Richards is holed up on an estate in Colombia.
to hide in a ship in order to travel to a place without being noticed and without paying: · With no money, his only hope of getting to New York was to stow away on the next ship.· Customs officials discovered several illegal immigrants stowed away at the front of the ship.
formal to hide yourself carefully so that you cannot be seen: · When police arrived, Black made no effort to hide or conceal herself.conceal yourself in/beneath/behind etc: · It was easy for the man to conceal himself in the museum before closing time.conceal yourself from: · Many spiders spin special webs to conceal themselves from danger.
to hide in a place in order to attack or stop someone you know will come there: · The tank commander feared there might be enemy soldiers lying in wait in the hills up ahead.lie in wait for: · Aitkins lay in wait for his victims and shot them as they walked toward their front door.
to wait or move around in a particular area while trying not to be seen, especially because you are going to do something wrong or something you do not want other people to know about: · Who's that skulking over there?lurk/skulk around/about: · Police received reports of a man lurking around the neighborhood.lurk/skulk in/behind/under etc: · I'm sure I saw someone lurking in the bushes just now.· He skulked along the street, looking this way and that to see if anyone was following him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a concealed weapon She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1to hide something carefully: a concealed weapon She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.· There’s no need to hide your amusement. I’m well aware of it.
· He tried to hide his excitement, but his voice was shaking.
· She used a false name to conceal her identity.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The party leadership - Neil Kinnock included - could barely conceal their delight when the vote was declared.· Chutra, naturally, boasted all afternoon and treated my Kutchi friends with barely concealed disdain.
· Judges present decisions behind the veil of abstract principle which often conceals the naked face of consequentialist considerations of loss distribution.· Drug use is often concealed even from close friends.
NOUN· She made no attempt to conceal the £6.99 price label.· One of them was using a much more powerful torch than Canon Oglethorpe's, without any attempt to conceal its light.· He climbed into the back seat and looked towards Annie's cabin, making little attempt to conceal himself or keep low.· The policeman made no attempt to conceal himself.· Sometimes disagreement, in spite of attempts to conceal it, will become so public as to prejudice a party's hopes of electoral success.
· The figures reported in Table 1 are averages and conceal quite large differences among the schools.· However, this relationship concealed some significant differences between subjects, being stronger for science subjects.· Regional statistics, however, conceal local differences.· But this consensus conceals important differences, especially those that concern when cruelty occurs.
· In the autumn of 1936, however, they needed each other and accordingly made an effort to conceal their mutual distrust.· It took an effort to conceal her disappointment.· Miss Haines too favoured Clara, but being young and honourable she made every effort to conceal it.· The effort of concealing her love was almost impossible even though it was imperative.
· Such crude alignments concealed the fact that realists such as Fairfield Porter or Freud were no more politically committed than their abstract colleagues.· And they can not conceal the facts by engaging in what is little more than a charade.· Although Michael Lee concealed the fact very well indeed, Katherine was well aware of his leanings.· If the prophecy worried her, she was managing to conceal the fact.· Otherwise he concealed the fact that he was in the army as far as possible.· If anyone did know her secret, that person certainly concealed the fact well.· She sat down to conceal the fact that she was trembling.
· Here the passive enables the speaker to conceal the identity of the informant.· One of the most compelling elements in the myth is the necessity of concealing your true identity.· He concealed his identity with such success that his desire to remain hidden was probably deliberate.
· You shouldn't have tried to conceal the truth from me.· Set in San Diego, the play examines the tangled web woven by those who conceal certain truths from others.· It represents the sublimation of suffering into beauty, the formation of a beautiful illusion to conceal the painful truth.· But the whole thing smacks of a cover-up to conceal the truth about falling standards in our schools.· Was there any real difference between concealing the truth from a man and placing a wire in his head?· But as usual the statistics conceal the truth.
· As with most averages, these percentages conceal a degree of variation between individual schools.· Waiting time by specialty is meaningless as it conceals a wide variation among consultants' clinics.· This figure had increased substantially since 1964 and, of course, conceals considerable variations for individual councillors.· This, in its turn, may conceal considerable variation in practice.· As with schools, though, these global figures conceal great variation from subject to subject.
· In order to conceal weapons, secret pockets were sewn into the linings of coats.· Six more states, including Texas, implemented laws on Jan. 1 that allow citizens to carry concealed weapons.· A kindergartner gets caught with a butter knife in his school backpack and is expelled for carrying a concealed weapon.· Xavier Hicks, model student, was being charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a concealed weapon.· The 8 {-by 14-inch paper outlines an argument that the Arizona Constitution already guarantees the right to carry concealed weapons.
VERB· Six more states, including Texas, implemented laws on Jan. 1 that allow citizens to carry concealed weapons.· A kindergartner gets caught with a butter knife in his school backpack and is expelled for carrying a concealed weapon.· The 8 {-by 14-inch paper outlines an argument that the Arizona Constitution already guarantees the right to carry concealed weapons.· Permits to carry concealed handguns are hard to come by, issued only at the discretion of local law enforcement officials.· Anyone who meets a few basic requirements can get a permit to carry a concealed gun.
· If the prophecy worried her, she was managing to conceal the fact.· There was evidence that despite torture and execution, the clergy at the cathedral had managed to conceal it.· She managed to conceal the physical revulsion she always felt from close contact with this man.
· Several times, he is seen rummaging about in the garbage bag, possibly trying to conceal something.· I stood behind him, trying to conceal my fear and distaste.· Others tried to conceal their sorrow by swamping it with alcohol.· You shouldn't have tried to conceal the truth from me.· She shivered and rubbed her arms, trying to conceal her rising agitation.· Harrison had never tried to conceal his dislike for the Major and Carew.· It s as if we were trying to conceal our poverty under a blanket.
The shadows concealed her as she crept up to the house. The path was concealed by long grass. a concealed weapon► see thesaurus at hide2to hide your real feelings or the truth: She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.conceal something from somebody She was taking drugs and trying to conceal it from me.—concealment noun [uncountable]: deliberate concealment of his activities