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Synonyms

expose

1 American  
[ik-spohz] / ɪkˈspoʊz /

verb (used with object)

exposed, exposing
  1. to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc..

    to expose soldiers to gunfire;

    to expose one's character to attack.

    Synonyms:
    jeopardize, imperil, endanger, subject
  2. to lay open to something specified.

    to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions.

    Antonyms:
    shield, protect
  3. to uncover or bare to the air, cold, etc..

    to expose one's head to the rain.

  4. to present to view; exhibit; display.

    The storekeeper exposed his wares.

  5. to make known, disclose, or reveal (intentions, secrets, etc.).

    Synonyms:
    betray, unveil, uncover
    Antonyms:
    hide, conceal
  6. to reveal or unmask (a crime, fraud, impostor, etc.).

    to expose a swindler.

  7. to hold up to public reprehension or ridicule (fault, folly, a foolish act or person, etc.).

  8. to desert in an unsheltered or open place; abandon, as a child.

  9. to subject, as to the action of something.

    to expose a photographic plate to light.


idioms

  1. expose oneself, to exhibit one's body, especially one's genitals, publicly in an immodest or exhibitionistic manner.

exposé 2 American  
[ek-spoh-zey] / ˌɛk spoʊˈzeɪ /

noun

  1. a public exposure or revelation, as of something discreditable.

    Certain cheap magazines make a fortune out of sensational exposés.


expose 1 British  
/ ɪkˈspəʊz /

verb

  1. to display for viewing; exhibit

  2. to bring to public notice; disclose; reveal

    to expose the facts

  3. to divulge the identity of; unmask

  4. (foll by to) to make subject or susceptible (to attack, criticism, etc)

  5. to abandon (a child, animal, etc) in the open to die

  6. (foll by to) to introduce (to) or acquaint (with)

    he was exposed to the classics at an early age

  7. photog to subject (a photographic film or plate) to light, X-rays, or some other type of actinic radiation

  8. RC Church to exhibit (the consecrated Eucharistic Host or a relic) for public veneration

  9. to display one's sexual organs in public

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

exposé 2 British  
/ ɛksˈpəʊzeɪ /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of bringing a scandal, crime, etc, to public notice

  2. an article, book, or statement that discloses a scandal, crime, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • exposability noun
  • exposable adjective
  • exposal noun
  • exposer noun
  • self-exposing adjective
  • unexposable adjective

Etymology

Origin of expose1

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English exposen, from Old French exposer, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + poser “to put” ( pose 1 ), replacing Latin expōnere “to put out, expose, set forth in words”; expound

Origin of exposé2

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, noun use of past participle of exposer expose

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.

Our team went undercover in the city, filming men as they covertly recorded women on a night out, exposing some of the most prolific operators, linked to 12 accounts.

From BBC

Sauropods were long necked, long tailed plant eaters that grew into the largest animals ever to walk on land, yet their earliest life stages were small, exposed, and highly vulnerable.

From Science Daily

Oracle is seen as being “way too exposed and levered to OpenAI, but in the worst way,” Mizuho trading-desk analyst Jordan Klein wrote in a note to clients late last month.

From MarketWatch

Polymarket has said it complies with all applicable laws, and that because its technology provides real-time transparency into trading, episodes of possible manipulation and insider trading are quickly exposed.

From The Wall Street Journal

More than two dozen names of minor victims are exposed in the filings, according to the Journal’s analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal