furl

/fərl/

Other forms: furled; furling; furls

To furl is to roll something up, the way you furl your sleeping bag before sliding it into your backpack on a camping trip.

Furl comes from roots meaning "to hold firmly" and "to bind." It's frequently used when sailors take down sails and roll them securely: "Furl the main sail! There's a storm brewing!" You can also use it for a leaf or flower that's curled up, as opposed to unfurled: "Those blossoms furl at night and open in the daytime." Or, if you want to show off your vocabulary, you might say: "Let me just furl these burritos and then we can eat."

Definitions of furl

1. verb

   form into a cylinder by rolling
   synonyms: roll up

   roll, roll up

   show certain properties when being rolled

   types:

   douse

   lower quickly

   reef

   roll up (a portion of a sail) in order to reduce its area

   bolt

   make or roll into bolts

   gather in, take in

   fold up

   brail

   take in a sail with a brail

   incorporate

   unite or merge with something already in existence

   coal

   take in coal

   type of:

   change form, change shape, deform

   assume a different shape or form