exhibition

American  

[ek-suh-bish-uhn] / ˌɛk səˈbɪʃ ən /

noun

1. an exhibiting, showing, or presenting to view.

2. a public display, as of the work of artists or artisans, the products of farms or factories, the skills of performers, or objects of general interest.

3. an exposition or large fair of extended duration, as a world's fair.

4. British. an allowance given to a student in a college, university, or school, usually upon the result of a competitive examination.

5. Medicine/Medical Obsolete. administration, as of a remedy.

---

exhibition British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃən /

noun

1. a public display of art, products, skills, activities, etc

   a judo exhibition

2. the act of exhibiting or the state of being exhibited

3. to behave so foolishly in public that one excites notice or ridicule

4. an allowance or scholarship awarded to a student at a university or school

---

exhibition Idioms  

1. see make an exhibition of oneself.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reexhibition
  noun
• nonexhibition
  noun
• preexhibition
  noun
• self-exhibition
  noun

Etymology

Origin of exhibition

1275–1325; Middle English exhibicion < Late Latin exhibitiōn- (stem of exhibitiō ) a presenting. See exhibit, -ion

Explanation

An exhibition is a collection of items for public display, like an exhibition of children’s artwork, antique vases, or memorabilia from a science fiction movie series. In the 19th century, exhibition was used to refer to a collection of objects, while exhibit designated a single item in an exhibition. Nowadays, exhibition and exhibit are often used interchangeably. Exhibition comes from the Latin ex-, meaning "out," and habere, meaning "hold" — as objects in an exhibition are "held out," or shown, to the public. The h in "hold out" might help you remember to include the h when spelling exhibition.

Example Sentences

It will be the first major museum exhibition of Mull’s artwork in 20 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

This exhibition, he says, deals with the question of why and the display of objects speaks to the motivations behind going to space.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

Drones and machine guns are put on exhibition display.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Expanding that facility’s exhibition space was a huge priority for the Central City Assn., a downtown business group, and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which represents hundreds of thousands of unionized workers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

He sees beautiful paintings at the Louvre, at the Musee du Luxembourg, and at the Salon, the French Academy’s annual exhibition of “living masters” of the current art world.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman