exhibit
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
noun
verb
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(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
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an object or collection exhibited to the public
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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
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have been exhibitingperfect progressive
-
has been exhibitingperfect progressive
Past
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exhibitedsimple
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had exhibitedperfect
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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:
The result was her 2024 Roberts Projects exhibit, “Betye Saar: New Work,” an objet trouvé medley in bronze and gold hues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Body Worlds exhibit featured in a scene of the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“The market is starting to exhibit the characteristics of an upcycle,” Le Peuch said on a call with analysts following results.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
According to the science centre, the chalk stream exhibit allows children to explore "why water flow, temperature and oxygen matter to one of the world's rarest freshwater habitats".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In Boston twenty years before, the central exhibit had been Phineas himself, alive and seemingly well.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Weeks before its opening in Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum will be on hand to share new details about its exhibits.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
A clockwise march past the 85 exhibits develops a chronology from the birth of modern war in the tangled British and French corpses of J.M.W.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
South Wales Police has announced it is re-looking at exhibits from that night to see if advances in forensic science could "provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
On Main Street, its welcome center has a range of interactive and augmented-reality exhibits, along with an activity center for the STEM-curious of all ages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Mr. Fields’s types were the only living exhibits.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Mexico is investigating whether the United States violated its sovereignty after the FBI this month exhibited the plane used to transport Zambada.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Since the garden exhibited its first corpse flower in 1999, thousands of people flock to its conservatory every summer, just to smell these putrid plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The painting has been exhibited in public galleries on a number of occasions since.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The resulting material exhibited strong luminescence, long-lived excited states, and highly effective energy transfer.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Shirley Povich of The Washington Post thought he exhibited “complete, overwhelming and colossal indifference.”
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
If you see they’re exhibiting any of these symptoms, get them some water and help move then to a cooler place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
This year is was the turn of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, with Rora Dairy, near Peterhead, exhibiting for the first time, alongside dozens of other small food producers.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
“Together, these trends suggest travelers may be exhibiting more value-conscious booking behavior,” said Heather Woolwine, vice president of communications at the chamber.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
Another patient in Canada has provisionally tested positive but is not exhibiting symptoms and the test remains to be confirmed.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
From then on, Marie donned men’s clothes, took the name of Gottlieb, and made a fortune traveling around Europe, exhibiting himself to medical men.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
