to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc..
to expose soldiers to gunfire;
to expose one's character to attack.
to lay open to something specified.
to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions.
to uncover or bare to the air, cold, etc..
to expose one's head to the rain.
to present to view; exhibit; display.
The storekeeper exposed his wares.
to make known, disclose, or reveal (intentions, secrets, etc.).
to reveal or unmask (a crime, fraud, impostor, etc.).
to expose a swindler.
to hold up to public reprehension or ridicule (fault, folly, a foolish act or person, etc.).
to desert in an unsheltered or open place; abandon, as a child.
to subject, as to the action of something.
to expose a photographic plate to light.
to display for viewing; exhibit
to bring to public notice; disclose; reveal
to expose the facts
to divulge the identity of; unmask
(foll by to) to make subject or susceptible (to attack, criticism, etc)
to abandon (a child, animal, etc) in the open to die
(foll by to) to introduce (to) or acquaint (with)
he was exposed to the classics at an early age
photog to subject (a photographic film or plate) to light, X-rays, or some other type of actinic radiation
RC Church to exhibit (the consecrated Eucharistic Host or a relic) for public veneration
to display one's sexual organs in public
the act or an instance of bringing a scandal, crime, etc, to public notice
an article, book, or statement that discloses a scandal, crime, etc
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English exposen, from Old French exposer, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + poser “to put” ( see pose 1), replacing Latin expōnere “to put out, expose, set forth in words”; see expound
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, noun use of past participle of exposer expose
To expose means to uncover or allow to be in the open air. If you take off your coat and expose your bare arms to the terrible cold, your tattoos might freeze off. (Note: We don’t actually know if this is physically possible.) When you pronounce expose as it’s spelled, it can mean to leave out in the air, to put in peril (when you expose someone to danger), or to uncover. All of those examples are actions. However, when you pronounce it as though there is a French accent on the final "e," ex-poh-ZAY, it means the unmasking or exposure of something hidden (and usually bad or fraudulent), as when you watch an expose on 60 Minutes about the evils of frozen orange juice or some other toxic substance.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Expose those lies to enough people and the regime could come crumbling down, is how the thinking in South Korea goes.
From BBC • May 30, 2025
Expose yourself to multiple voices, don’t be afraid to hear someone else’s perspective.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2023
Expose yourself to their taste and your own taste.
From Slate • Oct. 9, 2019
Expose its defects and the reordering of national security and other priorities becomes eminently possible.
From Salon • Oct. 20, 2018
Expose the egg to the moonlight for at least three hours, then await the results.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
