What does divulge mean?
To divulge is to disclose or make known something that has been kept private, secret, or confidential — whether a piece of information, an identity, or a detail that someone intended to withhold. The verb carries a formal tone and appears most often in journalism, legal proceedings, corporate communications, and everyday accounts of discretion: officials decline to divulge sources, companies are compelled to divulge financial records, and friends promise not to divulge confidences. It almost always implies a deliberate act of revealing, often one performed reluctantly or under pressure, and it frequently appears in negative constructions — people refuse to divulge, decline to divulge, or swear never to divulge. The word derives from the Latin divulgare, meaning 'to publish' or 'make widely known,' formed from di- ('widely') and vulgus ('the common people'), the same root that gives us 'vulgar.' This history is fitting for a term now so closely tied to the ethics of secrecy and disclosure. Its noun form is 'divulgence,' though this is rare compared with synonyms such as 'disclosure' or 'revelation'.
verbTo make known (private or secret information) to someone, especially something that has been kept confidential.
- (transitive) To reveal or make known private, secret, or confidential information.
"The witness refused to divulge the contents of the conversation, even under oath."
"Under pressure from regulators, the company was forced to divulge the details of its offshore accounts."
"She would not divulge where she had hidden the letters, no matter how much he pleaded."
Despite its Latin roots, 'divulge' once simply meant 'to make public' — the very thing we now use it to accuse people of failing to do.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of divulge
'Divulge' entered English in the late Middle Ages (attested from around the 15th century), borrowed either directly from Latin divulgare or via Old French divulguer. The Latin verb combines di- (a variant indicating breadth) with vulgus, meaning 'the common people,' giving the original sense 'to make known to the public at large.' Over time the meaning narrowed from general publication to the specific act of revealing what was meant to be secret. It shares its Latin root with 'vulgar,' 'vulgarize,' and related words built on vulgus.
Related word forms
How divulge is actually used
Formal to neutral in register; common in journalism, legal contexts, and official statements. Often appears with negation ('refused to divulge,' 'declined to divulge'), which is arguably as frequent as its affirmative use. Typically takes information, secrets, names, or details as its object. Not used for trivial revelations — it implies something genuinely meant to be kept private.
Easily confused with divulge
'Indulge' means to allow oneself or another a pleasure, while 'divulge' means to reveal secret information; the two look and sound similar but share only a loose phonetic resemblance.