display
Americanverb (used with object)
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displays,
present (3rd person singular)
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displayed,
past participle, past
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displaying
present participle
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to show or exhibit; make visible.
to display a sign.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
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to reveal; betray.
to display fear.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
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to unfold; open out; spread out.
to display a sail.
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to show ostentatiously; flaunt.
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Printing. to give special prominence to (words, captions, etc.) by choice, size, and arrangement of type.
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Digital Technology. to output (data) on a screen.
verb (used without object)
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displays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
displayed,
past participle, past
-
displaying
present participle
noun
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displays
plural
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an act or instance of displaying; exhibition.
a display of courage.
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an ostentatious show.
a vulgar display of wealth.
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Printing.
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the giving of prominence to particular words, sentences, etc., by the choice, size, and arrangement of types and position, as in an advertisement, headline, or news story.
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printed matter thus displayed.
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an arrangement, as of merchandise, art objects, or flowers, designed to please the eye, attract buyers, etc.
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Digital Technology.
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the visual representation of the output of an electronic device.
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the portion of an electronic device that shows this representation, as a screen, lens, or reticle.
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Animal Behavior.
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a pattern of behavior, as posturing, calling, or exposing a color patch, that conveys information to individuals of the same or another species.
a threat display.
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an instance of such behavior.
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verb
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(tr) to show or make visible
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(tr) to disclose or make evident; reveal
to display anger
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(tr) to flaunt in an ostentatious way
to display military might
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(tr) to spread or open out; unfurl or unfold
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(tr) to give prominence to (headings, captions, etc) by the use of certain typefaces
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(intr) zoology to engage in a display
noun
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the act of exhibiting or displaying; show
a display of fear
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something exhibited or displayed
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an ostentatious or pretentious exhibition
a display of his accomplishments
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an arrangement of certain typefaces to give prominence to headings, captions, advertisements, etc
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printed matter that is eye-catching
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electronics
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a device capable of representing information visually, as on a cathode-ray tube screen
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the information so presented
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zoology a pattern of behaviour in birds, fishes, etc, by which the animal attracts attention while it is courting the female, defending its territory, etc
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(modifier) relating to or using typefaces that give prominence to the words they are used to set
Usage
What does display mean? To display is to make visible or show to others, as in Francis’s teacher displayed his homework on the “Good Job!” board. A display is an arrangement or showing, as in The art display included paintings and sketches by the famous artist. To display can also mean to reveal or betray, as when you display your feelings with the look on your face. Less commonly, to display means to unfold or spread out, the way a sail does in the wind. Example: We bought the display model so we ended up saving a few dollars.
Synonym Usage
Display, evince, exhibit, manifest mean to show or bring to the attention of another or others. To display is literally to spread something out so that it may be most completely and favorably seen: to display goods for sale. To exhibit is to display something in a show: to exhibit the best flowers. They may both be used for showing (off ) one's qualities or feelings: He displayed his wit. He exhibited great surprise. To evince and to manifest also mean to show feelings or qualities: to evince or manifest surprise, interest.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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displayernoun
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predisplaynoun
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self-displaynoun
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redisplayverb (used with object)
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undisplayingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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displaysimple
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displayssimple
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have displayedperfect
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has displayedperfect
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am displayingprogressive
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are displayingprogressive
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is displayingprogressive
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have been displayingperfect progressive
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has been displayingperfect progressive
Past
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displayedsimple
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had displayedperfect
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was displayingprogressive
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were displayingprogressive
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had been displayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of display
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English desplayen, displayen, from Anglo-French, Old French despleier, desplier, desploier, from Late Latin displicāre “to unfold”; see origin at dis- 1, -fold
Explanation
When you display something, you show everyone. If you run up to someone in the street, throw your arms around her, and plant a big kiss on her face, you're displaying your affection for all the world to see. Besides public displays of emotion, a display can also be common and lifeless. Department store windows often have elaborate displays of the latest fashions, and your computer screen can also be called a display. If you’re especially proud of your butterfly collection, you can put it on display in your office. When showing off for the ladies, peacocks fan out their colorful tail feathers, and that, too, is called a display — a word for male animal courtship behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing display
Essential English Vocabulary, List 4
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 1
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Computer Terms
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Did you know they were actually part of a museum display back in 2024?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Pressed aggressively, had a shot blocked, played in Joao Pedro and then capped his display by scoring Chelsea's second with a far-post finish.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The DJ was silhouetted by a large window display of a gigantic, human-sized plastic re-creation of Raising Cane’s chicken tenders and crinkle-cut fries being dipped into a tub of Cane’s Sauce.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Before going inside, Duffy pauses to hype up his brood by sharing that none other than Ken Griffin bought one of the original copies of the Constitution to put on public display.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The crates scattered amid the dusty display furniture made my heart sink.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Find insight on Chinese automakers, global shipments of flat panel displays and more in the latest Market Talks covering the auto and transport sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The carrier says it will restore seatback displays across its domestic fleet, reversing a years-long strategy of removing them from most US routes.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The signage displays a chic Saarinen-drawn typeface that looks like it belongs in Star Trek.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
The singer noted to the outlet that he has dedicated himself to preserving the work of Black artists, filling his home with various displays, from photography to sculpture.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
On the downtown streets of Kilgore, people milled about on the narrow sidewalks, looking at shop displays and admiring the strands of lights that decorated the businesses.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Her pastries are displayed gallery-style on individual plates with placard descriptions, and customers can eat them in a serene ground-floor dining area or get them to-go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Shelters displayed QR codes so that those affected can report missing relatives or damage to their homes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Within a day, observations from the Liverpool Telescope in the Canary Islands and NASA's Swift satellite in space showed that the object displayed the expected characteristics of an LFBOT.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Despite Makhachev's record, Machado Garry displayed typical confidence as he made his walkout, before greeting his wife and draping an Ireland flag around him prior to entering the octagon.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The space wasn't big—twenty-four feet by ten—but it displayed Mo's life, from beginning to its end.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Cuaya and her co-researcher, Raúl Hernández-Pérez, went on to investigate how dogs responded to other human emotions - showing dogs images of people displaying happiness, anger, fear, and sadness.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Little signs like that permeated the day, as did a big one displaying every Dorsey championship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Buyers around the world are acquiring fossils for themselves and displaying them in their homes and offices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Around her are patio tables displaying the kind of food the shop carried: pies and cakes, what appear to be stuffed tomatoes, baguettes, sophisticated deli salads, gorgeous hunks of cheese.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
“My hands might be dirty,” Dad had said, winking at me and displaying his blackened fingernails.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
