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-zey]
/ 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:
Scientists have uncovered evidence that an enormous ancient cliff system may have helped expose the deepest rocks of the Grand Canyon nearly a billion years before the Colorado River began carving the landscape seen today.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
"TikTok's account settings fail to meet this standard, as they expose minors' accounts and content too widely," the EU said in its preliminary view.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The facts expose that claim as just so much palaver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Locatelli said food could expose a person's character.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The dirty snow was pockmarked from the warm rain, and melting in patches to expose the slimy, yellowed grass beneath it; icicles cracked and plunged like daggers from the sharp peaks of the roofs.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The other is a powerful exposé on the safety breaches that have caused deadly crashes and accidents on Boeing airplanes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic on Monday, claiming the magazine’s recent exposé on his time as agency director was a malicious “hit piece.”
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
It’s this exposé of societal absurdity and Meursault’s atheistic refusal to play along with pacifying notions of sin and redemption, that makes“The Stranger” a pinnacle of confrontational literature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
SeaWorld and its parent company have struggled for more than a decade to return to prominence after fallout from the release of an exposé about the company’s handling of its orcas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
An exposé of Spiritualism appeared in the October 21, 1888, issue of the New York World.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
It has long been known that air travel at high altitudes exposes people to cosmic radiation, but the dose for most travellers is regarded as statistically insignificant, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
That retreat exposes a larger area of the biologically productive ice edge, where particle formation can occur.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
"Oil's return towards pre-war levels in June reflected markets pricing in a best-case outcome for the fragile US-Iran arrangement," she wrote, adding that the "re-escalation exposes how fragile that assumption was".
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
It exposes OpenAI to the kind of social-impact scrutiny that has dogged Meta Platforms and other social-media companies for many years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Christina also persuaded me to purchase a shirt that exposes my shoulders and collarbone, and to line my eyes with black pencil again.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
This suggests that the level of sweetness people are exposed to very early in life may shape their taste preferences for a long time.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
The roof of the property has caved in and the support beams have been exposed.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In 2023, a French nurse who had worked night shifts for 28 years and been exposed to radiation succeeded in having her breast cancer recognised as an occupational disease.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
UBS analysts said Honda and Toyota would be most exposed to increased tariffs, with Canadian imports accounting for roughly one out of every 10 vehicles the companies sell in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Once he was sure of his balance, he stumbled forward, exposed hands buried in his underarms to try to regain some feeling.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
"Social media is exposing them to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with, and it's affecting their family life, mental health, sleep and education."
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Over time, erosion along this immense rocky boundary removed huge amounts of material, eventually exposing ancient crystalline basement rocks that can now be seen in the Grand Canyon in southern Arizona.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
The revelation came as the country grappled with whistleblower Edward Snowden’s leaks exposing the vast reach of the agency’s surveillance.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
A crowd of 73,946 gathered around Shane Gillis last month to hear his jokes about exposing himself accidentally on Snapchat and looking like a junior-varsity football coach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
His pants rode up, exposing a nasty scar on his right ankle.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
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.
