exhibit
Americanverb (used with object)
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exhibits,
present (3rd person singular)
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exhibited,
past participle, past
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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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List 10
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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:
Neither Lisbet nor Mihai can exhibit too much passion or zealotry, too much unjust anger or warranted affection.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
As a result of their less mature brains, kids exhibit less impulse control and self-restraint than adults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
"Looking at the paintings I felt like not just remembering all that happened, but remembering that unity that came," educator Farran Burnette, 40, told AFP after visiting the exhibit.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
But even after controlling for higher interest rates and economic uncertainty, large-cap stocks tend to exhibit increasing relative strength as the end of the year approaches.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
I love it when an exhibit is just about to open and Dad brings me, Jason, and Mom to see it before anyone else.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
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
The FBI briefed the Met officers to question Bayoumi about the other high-priority exhibits, but the detectives in the custody suite were never given, or briefed about, the plane diagram.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
That they were shown—and sent on tour—as standalone exhibits helped bring him fame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Those patterns can reveal whether a material is magnetic and, if so, what kind of magnetism it exhibits.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Olmsted in particular felt the pressure but also felt hobbled by the persistent delays in installation of exhibits and the damage done by the repeated comings and goings of drays and freight cars.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Lowe reviewed the video and described the shark as inquisitive, saying it exhibited no behaviors that would indicate aggression or predation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Her Infinity Mirror Rooms, first exhibited in New York, create mind-bending illusions of endless space through reflection and light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 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
Sam was a white man of twenty-five years and exhibited none of the eccentric mannerisms of his co-workers.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
It is anthropogenic, exhibiting good and occasionally bad human traits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Mangia said that healthcare providers saw residents with mostly respiratory issues, but that many of the residents were also exhibiting rashes and skin irritations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The swift signs of aging he is exhibiting simply makes it hard to imagine.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The mystery affliction has killed at least 19 pachyderms, mostly females or young males, since June in Kenya -- with all of the animals exhibiting identical symptoms, including partial paralysis.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
In Lockhart, after conducting our business, Harry loitered on the corner so he could admire the figures of the ladies strolling by, exhibiting the latest finery from the local milliner.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
