exposure

American  

[ik-spoh-zher] / ɪkˈspoʊ ʒər /

noun

• exposures
  plural

1. the act of exposing, laying open, or uncovering.

   the sudden exposure of objects that were hidden under the blanket.

   Antonyms:

   concealment

2. the fact or state of being exposed.

   A bandage will avoid exposure of the wound.

3. disclosure, as of something private or secret.

   the exposure of their invasion plans.

   Synonyms:

   exposé, revelation, divulgement

4. an act or instance of revealing or unmasking, as an impostor, crime, or fraud.

   the exposure of graft and corruption.

5. presentation to view, especially in an open or public manner.

   His exposure of his anger shocked the company.

   Synonyms:

   display

6. indecent exposure.

   The suspect was arrested for exposure in public.

7. a laying open or subjecting to the action or influence of something.

   The exposure of his theories to ridicule destroyed his self-confidence.

8. the condition of being exposed to danger, harm, etc..

   exposure to toxic mold;

   exposure to a deadly disease.

9. the condition of being exposed without protection to the effects of harsh weather, especially the cold.

   to suffer from exposure.

10. Photography.

    1. the act of presenting a photosensitive surface to rays of light.

    2. the total amount of light received by a photosensitive surface or an area of such a surface, expressed as the product of the degree of illumination and the period of illumination.

    3. the image resulting from the effects of light rays on a photosensitive surface.

11. situation with regard to sunlight or wind; aspect.

    a southern exposure.

12. a putting out or deserting, especially of a child, without shelter or protection; abandonment.

13. something exposed, as to view; an exposed surface.

    exposures of rock.

14. public appearance, notice, attention, mention, or discussion, especially in the media.

    great ways to gain exposure for your products on TV and on the internet.

15. a prominent, often overextended position or commitment, as in investment, that is considered precarious and risky.

    The bank was nervous about its exposure in Iran.

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exposure British  

/ ɪkˈspəʊʒə /

noun

1. the act of exposing or the condition of being exposed

2. the position or outlook of a house, building, etc; aspect

   the bedroom has a southern exposure

3. lack of shelter from the weather, esp the cold

   to die of exposure

4. a surface that is exposed

   an exposure of granite

5. mountaineering the degree to which a climb, etc is exposed See exposed

6. photog

   1. the act of exposing a photographic film or plate to light, X-rays, etc

   2. an area on a film or plate that has been exposed to light, etc

   3. ( as modifier )

      exposure control

7. photog

   1. the intensity of light falling on a photographic film or plate multiplied by the time for which it is exposed

   2. a combination of lens aperture and shutter speed used in taking a photograph

      he used the wrong exposure

8. appearance or presentation before the public, as in a theatre, on television, or in films

9. See indecent exposure

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexposure
  noun
• reexposure
  noun
• self-exposure
  noun
• semiexposure
  noun
• postexposure
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exposures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exposure

First recorded in 1595–1605; expose + -ure

Explanation

If you place someone or something in an environment that causes them to experience something, you can call this exposure. Exposure to sun and rain will cause wood to turn gray. In school, you will be given exposure to the basic principles of math, science and language. The exposure of film to light results in a photograph. Sometimes, exposure is used without explicitly saying what something or someone was exposed to. It is simply implied. When a celebrity is given lots of exposure, it is well-known that the media is involved. If you die of exposure, it's understood that the harsh elements of the weather was meant. And if your house has a southern exposure, you know that this is the side where the sun shines.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exposure exposures

“Basically, we’re not seeing anything that indicates that there’s a problem with air quality and would result in exposure at the facility at this time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Autocallable notes are structured-debt instruments tied to stocks or an index with underlying equity exposure.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

In their latest incarnations, ETFs often offer exposure to narrow, risky assets, high tax bills and bloated fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The UK's biggest festival, Glastonbury - which is broadcast on the BBC - offers worldwide exposure for artists, but Eavis has been open in the past about paying headliners far less than they'd get elsewhere.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Although these questions might seem to be simple, they reflect a depth of music knowledge garnered throughout a lifetime of cultural exposure to music.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

There is no evidence that even reasonably high dietary exposures to acrylamide cause health problems like cancer.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

Off-balance-sheet exposures at some companies include agreements to buy other companies’ stock in the future or backstop leases for other tenants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

“There was no investigation into those exposures,” Michaels said, “and the understanding of how much more severe these exposures were ... has become very apparent in the last decade.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

And thanks to a brutal July, “the capacity of TMT Equity Sector and Multi Strat hedge funds to hold tech exposures would be structurally more limited going forward,” they said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

Repeated exposures may lower the cholinesterase level until an individual reaches the brink of acute poisoning, a brink over which he may be pushed by a very small additional exposure.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• disclosure
• hazard
• liability
• publicity
• risk
• vulnerability