exhibition

American  

[ek-suh-bish-uhn] / ˌɛk səˈbɪʃ ən /

noun

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

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

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

There will also be some games that will drag on like a Jets preseason exhibition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

The material, alongside Russian-language sources and collaboration with other academics, including the University of Tartu and former astronomer Dr John Butler, formed the basis of the exhibition at the planetarium.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Woods didn’t announce his invention from a lecture hall or an exhibition floor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

King Felipe VI made the remarks while speaking with Mexico’s ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz, during a visit to a museum exhibition in Madrid about the role of women in pre-Columbian Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

Knowing that she thinks of the circus as an exhibition comes as a pleasant surprise, as he had stopped considering it antagonistic years ago.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern