exhibit
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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exhibits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhibited,
past participle, past
-
exhibiting
present participle
noun
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exhibits
plural
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
-
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
-
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:
In November 2021, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History opened an exhibit called “The Electric Dr. Franklin,” describing “Benjamin Franklin’s pioneering contributions to electrical science.”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Florenz plans to exhibit about 40 coffins by acclaimed Ghanaian artists, including Kane Kwei and Paa Joe, at Pioneer Works beginning in June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
"We have seen that vibrating objects can exhibit quantum behavior, which is the prerequisite for many of the operations needed by quantum computing and sensing."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
“We expect Indonesia’s policymakers to exhibit limited urgency to tighten policy at this juncture,” DBS said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Bunny, who had been relatively calm, was now on a rampage because Henry refused to drive him down to Washington, D.C., to see an exhibit of World War I biplanes at the Smithsonian.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The group then head to the US National Archives for a tour of the building and its exhibits.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 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
He also helped craft social-studies curricula for the nation’s second-largest statewide public-school system, advises hundreds of state lawmakers, and helped the White House plan exhibits for America’s 250th anniversary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
The Weinberg-Salam theory exhibits a property known as spontaneous symmetry breaking.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
After Peck and Albuquerque lost their Malibu home and much of her work in the 2018 Woolsey fire, Wolfe exhibited Albuquerque’s first new drawings as she struggled to resume her practice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Important works from his career, such as “The White Album,” which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, will be exhibited alongside lesser-known aspects of output as well as new, never-before-seen works.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Gao brothers' Execution of Christ sculpture was exhibited in 2009, as were two other sculptures cited in the case.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Millennials and Gen Xers also exhibited the same behaviors to a much lesser extent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
What kind of people, in which parts of the country, exhibited the highest degree of financial irresponsibility?
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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
The swift signs of aging he is exhibiting simply makes it hard to imagine.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
That the patient was able to roam so far before exhibiting any symptoms provides an insight into why this outbreak is so dangerous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
However, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Adongo began exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
It has come to our attention that the SES has been exhibiting unusual activity in the northeast of the United States.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
