exhibit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
exhibits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhibited,
past participle, past
-
exhibiting
present participle
-
to offer or expose to view; present for inspection.
to exhibit the latest models of cars.
- Synonyms:
- demonstrate, show
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to manifest or display.
to exhibit anger; to exhibit interest.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
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to place on show.
to exhibit paintings.
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to make manifest; explain.
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Law. to submit (a document, object, etc.) in evidence in a court of law.
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Medicine/Medical Obsolete. to administer (something) as a remedy.
verb (used without object)
-
exhibits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhibited,
past participle, past
-
exhibiting
present participle
noun
-
exhibits
plural
verb
-
(also intr) to display (something) to the public for interest or instruction
this artist exhibits all over the world
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to manifest; display; show
the child exhibited signs of distress
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law to produce (a document or object) in court to serve as evidence
noun
-
an object or collection exhibited to the public
-
law a document or object produced in court and referred to or identified by a witness in giving evidence
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exhibitantnoun
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exhibiternoun
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exhibitornoun
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preexhibitnoun
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reexhibitverb (used with object)
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exhibitableadjective
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exhibitoryadjective
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self-exhibitedadjective
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unexhibitableadjective
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unexhibitedadjective
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well-exhibitedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exhibitsimple
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exhibitssimple
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have exhibitedperfect
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has exhibitedperfect
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am exhibitingprogressive
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are exhibitingprogressive
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is exhibitingprogressive
-
have been exhibitingperfect progressive
-
has been exhibitingperfect progressive
Past
-
exhibitedsimple
-
had exhibitedperfect
-
was exhibitingprogressive
-
were exhibitingprogressive
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had been exhibitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exhibit
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English exhibiten “to show,” from Latin exhibitus, past participle of exhibēre, from ex- ex- 1 + -hibēre (combining form of habēre “to have”); cf. habit 1
Explanation
An exhibit is an item that is shown off for the public, such as a painting on display at a gallery or a historical document shown under glass at a museum. The main thing to remember about an exhibit is that it refers to something presented formally and in a public setting. For example, if you put an action figure on a side table in your apartment and your friends come by and notice it, well, it’s just an action figure on a side table. Put that same action figure on a pedestal in a fancy gallery, arrange it just so, and voilà! It’s an exhibit. People may even look it over and discuss its meaning in hushed tones. Students of law — or people who watch a lot of TV — will know that when used in a legal context, the word exhibit can also refer to an item presented as evidence in a legal court.
Vocabulary lists containing exhibit
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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:
At the same time, she said, the demands on teachers have risen as more students exhibit autism, developmental issues and other special needs; there are also more students struggling with English as a second language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
They discovered that the spiders exhibit two clearly distinguishable sleep stages.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
Part science exhibit, part thrill ride, the shuttle gallery teaches most effectively via emotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Light can exhibit different polarization patterns, including forms that rotate in opposite directions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
We step off the elevator, and a man with an impressive double pretzel-loop on top of his head points at us, like we’re some sort of exhibit at the museum of natural history.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Its exhibits "moved to storage," according to a guide at the new museum.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Another project would involve replacing 17 wayside exhibits at backcountry trailheads and three in the Cottonwood Spring area and adding three new interpretive wayside exhibits on the Mastodon Peak Loop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
I enlisted my husband, who is a lawyer, to draft a more detailed appeal that included exhibits from my employer health-plan documents.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Byfield has appeared repeatedly in television documentaries, books, and museum exhibits in the USA and Canada, where he has often been portrayed as a stoic British soldier who endured hardship without complaint.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
I have walked through most of the exhibits when I see Sabrina, who tells me it’s time to meet up at the front so we can reflect.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
At the same time, these clones exhibited reduced activity of the PD1 gene.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
"Some of the language used on more than one occasion and the behaviour you have exhibited could cause offence to your housemates or the viewing public."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
“But it was true bravery the Dakota exhibited in giving this to us. Where would we be if we could collectively acknowledge the harm we’ve done?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
They share an ease and rapport neither has readily exhibited on camera before — certainly not around virtual strangers.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Shirley Povich of The Washington Post thought he exhibited “complete, overwhelming and colossal indifference.”
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
In other words, the universe could behave much like the standard model predicts near a central region while exhibiting different expansion behavior farther away.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Banks and other investors want to limit exposure to the industry, which some believe is exhibiting signs of a financial bubble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
She said what gives her hope is the bravery of her fellow campaigners and the creative protests of artists such as those exhibiting in Amsterdam.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Often star soloists are employed, each exhibiting ego and leaving the conductor as ringmaster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
People exhibiting this purest form of the disorder would become known, in the jargon of psychiatry, as “Cleckley” psychopaths.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
