exhibit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
to manifest or display.
to exhibit anger; to exhibit interest.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
-
to place on show.
to exhibit paintings.
-
to make manifest; explain.
-
Law. to submit (a document, object, etc.) in evidence in a court of law.
-
Medicine/Medical Obsolete. to administer (something) as a remedy.
verb (used without object)
-
exhibits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhibited,
past participle, past
-
exhibiting
present participle
noun
-
exhibits
plural
verb
-
(also intr) to display (something) to the public for interest or instruction
this artist exhibits all over the world
-
to manifest; display; show
the child exhibited signs of distress
-
law to produce (a document or object) in court to serve as evidence
noun
-
an object or collection exhibited to the public
-
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
-
exhibitantnoun
-
exhibiternoun
-
exhibitornoun
-
preexhibitnoun
-
reexhibitverb (used with object)
-
exhibitableadjective
-
exhibitoryadjective
-
self-exhibitedadjective
-
unexhibitableadjective
-
unexhibitedadjective
-
well-exhibitedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exhibitsimple
-
exhibitssimple
-
have exhibitedperfect
-
has exhibitedperfect
-
am exhibitingprogressive
-
are exhibitingprogressive
-
is exhibitingprogressive
-
have been exhibitingperfect progressive
-
has been exhibitingperfect progressive
Past
-
exhibitedsimple
-
had exhibitedperfect
-
was exhibitingprogressive
-
were exhibitingprogressive
-
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An exhibit is an item that is shown off for the public, such as a painting on display at a gallery or a historical document shown under glass at a museum.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
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
ACT Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 10
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"If visitors follow our advice and do not feed or interfere with the deer, it is highly unlikely that they will exhibit this type of behaviour."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The exhibit also approaches issues of gender, through the elaborately decorated 1511 lira da braccio, a bowed string instrument of the Renaissance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Tama Zoo announced last month that it would suspend its lion exhibit and lion bus service, due to the "sudden heatwave" making the lions ill.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
"It is difficult to predict where LEE occurs -- we don't know which nuclei will exhibit it."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Other males and females exhibit their submission to the alpha male by bowing before him while making grunting sounds, not unlike human subjects kowtowing before a king.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
He has advised these organizations on fossil collections and educational exhibits.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
A director who loves our country and wants to enlighten us with consequential historical exhibits would be a better fit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
But that changed this week when hundreds of pages of court exhibits — released through discovery in a federal lawsuit — provided a glimpse into the operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
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
Mr. Fields’s types were the only living exhibits.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
In his initial livestream denying the allegations, he not only exhibited an odd demeanor, but he also falsely insisted that every accusation could be “traced back to a single source, my former wife.”
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Fraunhofer researchers exhibited their work at the Interpack packaging trade show in Dusseldorf in May, and are hopeful that the interest they attracted will come to fruition.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
Corpse flowers have been a staple of the Huntington since 1999, when the garden exhibited its first corpse flower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The chill Westerberg sensed between Alex and his parents stood in marked contrast to the warmth McCandless exhibited in Carthage.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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
In his book, he treats empathy in a largely colloquial sense, “as both a way of exhibiting sympathy towards someone, as well as a means of putting myself in your shoes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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
A pioneer in the pop art movement in the 1960s, Hockney established himself as a globally renowned painter and master draughtsman and kept painting, experimenting and exhibiting right up until his death.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Even at fifty years old, Peter was still an exceptional fencer, exhibiting the fastest hand work I had ever seen.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
