exhibition

American  

[ek-suh-bish-uhn] / ˌɛk səˈbɪʃ ən /

noun

exhibitions plural

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.

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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

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exhibition Idioms  

1. see make an exhibition of oneself.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exhibitions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

exhibition exhibitions

Three years after its creation, she had a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

The exhibition transports visitors there in the next gallery via another large-scale animated projection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

She met with AFP away from the exhibition halls at this week's Farnborough International Airshow in the UK, for an interview in Mayfair, central London.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

This time on the road is particularly evident in the six weather-focused, dreamily atmospheric paintings that constitute the exhibition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

All of our previous bilateral discussions had been laying the groundwork for these talks, which took place at the World Trade Centre, a modem exhibition center near Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

The German creator of the controversial "Body Worlds" exhibitions of dissected human and animal bodies, Gunther von Hagens, has died at age 81, his family said Monday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

More than 58 million people worldwide have viewed his exhibitions, the statement said.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Cinelandia” isn’t the museum’s first foray into identity-based exhibitions centered on underrepresented populations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

I wouldn’t have seen modern art exhibitions or WWE wrestling or heavyweight boxing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Viewing exhibitions at the Guggenheim is like being conducted through a predetermined stream of consciousness, where everything merges into a total unity.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson