expose
verb (used with object)
to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc..
expose
1 American
[ik-spohz]
/ ɪkˈspoʊz /
verb (used with object)
-
exposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exposed,
past participle, past
-
exposing
present participle
-
to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc..
to expose soldiers to gunfire;
to expose one's character to attack.
- Synonyms:
- jeopardize, imperil, endanger, subject
-
to lay open to something specified.
to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions.
-
to uncover or bare to the air, cold, etc..
to expose one's head to the rain.
-
to present to view; exhibit; display.
The storekeeper exposed his wares.
-
to make known, disclose, or reveal (intentions, secrets, etc.).
-
to reveal or unmask (a crime, fraud, impostor, etc.).
to expose a swindler.
-
to hold up to public reprehension or ridicule (fault, folly, a foolish act or person, etc.).
-
to desert in an unsheltered or open place; abandon, as a child.
-
to subject, as to the action of something.
to expose a photographic plate to light.
idioms
exposé
2
American
[ek-spoh-zay]
/ ˌɛk spoʊˈzeɪ /
noun
expose
1
British
/ ɪkˈspəʊz /
verb
-
to display for viewing; exhibit
-
to bring to public notice; disclose; reveal
to expose the facts
-
to divulge the identity of; unmask
-
(foll by to) to make subject or susceptible (to attack, criticism, etc)
-
to abandon (a child, animal, etc) in the open to die
-
(foll by to) to introduce (to) or acquaint (with)
he was exposed to the classics at an early age
-
photog to subject (a photographic film or plate) to light, X-rays, or some other type of actinic radiation
-
RC Church to exhibit (the consecrated Eucharistic Host or a relic) for public veneration
-
to display one's sexual organs in public
exposé
2
British
/ ɛksˈpəʊzeɪ /
noun
-
the act or an instance of bringing a scandal, crime, etc, to public notice
-
an article, book, or statement that discloses a scandal, crime, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
exposabilitynoun
-
exposalnoun
-
exposernoun
-
exposableadjective
-
self-exposingadjective
-
unexposableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exposesimple
-
exposessimple
-
have exposedperfect
-
has exposedperfect
-
am exposingprogressive
-
are exposingprogressive
-
is exposingprogressive
-
have been exposingperfect progressive
-
has been exposingperfect progressive
Past
-
exposedsimple
-
had exposedperfect
-
was exposingprogressive
-
were exposingprogressive
-
had been exposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of expose1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English exposen, from Old French exposer, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + poser “to put” ( see pose 1), replacing Latin expōnere “to put out, expose, set forth in words”; see expound
Origin of exposé2
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, noun use of past participle of exposer expose
Explanation
To expose means to uncover or allow to be in the open air. If you take off your coat and expose your bare arms to the terrible cold, your tattoos might freeze off. (Note: We don’t actually know if this is physically possible.) When you pronounce expose as it’s spelled, it can mean to leave out in the air, to put in peril (when you expose someone to danger), or to uncover. All of those examples are actions. However, when you pronounce it as though there is a French accent on the final "e," ex-poh-ZAY, it means the unmasking or exposure of something hidden (and usually bad or fraudulent), as when you watch an expose on 60 Minutes about the evils of frozen orange juice or some other toxic substance.
Vocabulary lists containing expose
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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:
They want to expose the obscure operations, to implore users to reconsider their relationship with these platforms.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Speaking ahead of the visit, Burnham said the UK and Germany were "joining forces to find, expose and disrupt" threats.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
More generally, the results show that extremely short electrical pulses can expose forms of superconducting transport that are normally concealed by slower effects such as vortex motion and heating.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
“We are going to expose this manipulation, and we’ll find out who’s behind it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The frustrated Stirling asked the workers to expose the back of the slab by digging beneath it and levering up the stone with poles.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The unions have no answer to her exposé.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
An exposé of the worst of the worst of reality TV shows, this documentary about “The Swan” is a reminder of the damage this genre can do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
In a 2024 exposé on Bowlero’s rise, Amos Barshad introduced a now-familiar category of villain — the private-equity vulture — as more than the average mercenary buying up distressed properties and selling off their parts.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
What this exposé casts a light upon is a much less visible element.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
The story ran across the country, “Kate Fox Jencken … intends to co-operate with her sister—Margaretta Fox Kane—in her proposed exposé of the fraudulent methods of so-called spiritualism.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Aaron says men could find it difficult to express their feelings "as it's bred in us that it exposes weakness or vulnerability".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The retreating ice exposes Arctic coastlines to waves, worsening coastal erosion and raising risks for coastal communities and infrastructure, the report warned.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
One exposes inflammatory genes, while the other provides the immune signal needed to activate them.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
“The state will not tolerate any activity that exposes Iraq or its relations with brotherly and friendly countries to danger,” said the spokesman, Saba Al-Nu’man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Mom thought I should be writing exposes about oppressive landlords, social injustice, and the class struggle on the Lower East Side.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
On Monday, Monte dei Paschi’s board said the Intesa proposal still means its shareholders would be exposed to Intesa’s performance, as the proposed consideration remains mostly composed of shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The trust settled the claims after admitting its staff had been exposed to dangerously high levels of the gas.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
But not all travel marketplaces are equally exposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Several events through the week will focus on AI's impact, including in developing countries that may not be exposed to its economic benefits as they lie outside its supply chains.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
Yet, other mediums, operating much like the Fox sisters, were exposed outright while producing very similar manifestations.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
In an increasingly digital world, players are more accessible than ever through social media, bringing them closer to fans but also exposing them to online harassment and abuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
A “bond-tent strategy” involves gradually exposing your portfolio’s allocation to bonds in the years leading up to retirement, keeping a higher bond allocation early after retiring and gradually lowering that exposure later.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
A contrasting perspective holds that dystopian and cautionary science fiction serves an essential purpose by exposing the consequences of reckless behavior, political failure and technological overreach.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Nonstop swells combined with a “super” El Niño phenomenon have washed away truckloads of sand from Newport Beach and other parts of the California coast, exposing hazards buried a century ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
At last, technicians reached the Soviet cables, carefully exposing the inner wires and grafting on the wiretaps.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
