exposition

American  

[ek-spuh-zish-uhn] / ˌɛk spəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

expositions plural

1. a large-scale public exhibition or show, as of art or manufactured products.

   an exposition of 19th-century paintings; an automobile exposition.

   Synonyms:

   presentation, display, demonstration, exhibit

2. the act of expounding, setting forth, or explaining.

   the exposition of a point of view.

3. writing or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed statement or explanation; explanatory treatise.

   The students prepared expositions on familiar essay topics.

   Synonyms:

   explication, exegesis, interpretation, critique, commentary, elucidation

4. the act of presenting to view; display.

   The singer gave a splendid exposition of vocal talent.

5. exposure.

6. the state of being uncovered, revealed, or otherwise exposed; exposure.

7. Music. the first section of a fugue or a sonata form, in which the principal themes normally are introduced.

8. (in a play, novel, etc.) dialogue, description, etc., that gives the audience or reader the background of the characters and the present situation.

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exposition British  

/ ˌɛkspəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. a systematic, usually written statement about, commentary on, or explanation of a specific subject

2. the act of expounding or setting forth information or a viewpoint

3. a large public exhibition, esp of industrial products or arts and crafts

4. the act of exposing or the state of being exposed

5. the part of a play, novel, etc, in which the theme and main characters are introduced

6. music the first statement of the subjects or themes of a movement in sonata form or a fugue

7. RC Church the exhibiting of the consecrated Eucharistic Host or a relic for public veneration

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preexposition
  noun
• reexposition
  noun
• expositional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• expositions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exposition

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English exposicioun, exposicyon, from Old French exposition, from Latin expositiōn- (stem of expositiō “exposure (of an infant to die); statement, description),” equivalent to exposit(us); + -iōn- ; see expose, -ion

Explanation

An exposition takes place when you "expose" something — like at a fair or convention for showing off goods, art, or similar wares. An exposition can also be the section of a story that explains the basics of the tale. In classical music, the first part of a piece is often an exposition, in which the composer lets you hear the tunes and themes that will get worked over during the rest of the piece. Most movies spend a lot of time at the beginning on exposition, as well. The director wants you to know where the story is set, who the characters are, and what it is they want. Exposition is important to set the scene, so the rest of the story makes sense. Exposition can also mean a big fair, often called an "expo." ComicCon is a famous exposition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exposition expositions

All 56 US states and territories will be showcased in the exposition, according to Freedom 250, which is organising the event.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Cleage’s play, it must be said, is hamstrung with exposition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The exposition popularized a host of snack foods that would become staples of American life, including ice-cream cones, peanut butter, hot dogs, hamburgers and cotton candy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Bursting into Kenna’s quarters seemingly at will, she raids her near-empty fridge while bluntly shouldering much of the exposition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

Overall Olmsted remained confident that his exposition landscape would succeed.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Packed with animations, touch-screen displays and other flashy elements, those widely popular expositions were criticized by historians for inaccurate claims and deliberate glorification of Russian rulers and their conquests.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

Past expositions expos have been credited with inspiring or popularizing such groundbreaking inventions as the light bulb, the Ferris wheel and the Eiffel Tower, which was built for the 1889 exposition in Paris.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2023

He added, “This was a 14-year technology-developed program, and it was very robust and certainly led to successful scientific expositions to the Titanic in the last few years.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

Known widely as “CQ,” General Brown is not a talker like General Milley, who loves long historical expositions that connect the modern-day military and political maneuvering of the past.

From New York Times ● May 24, 2023

We are in our last week of preparations for the spring expositions, and the maestra has given me a song from the aria book, a song of courage and passion: "Vittoria, mio core" by Carissimi.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper