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Synonyms

for show

Idioms  

  1. For the sake of appearances or display. For example, They put on a lavish buffet, mainly for show, or The police pretended to jail the informer, for show. [c. 1700]

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.

Like Sweeney’s pop-up, this saloon isn’t totally for show — there are selected premixed cocktails available.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

Mr. Naiden admired Quill, but he would never have ripped up a copy of the Daily Worker as Quill did in public for show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Still, there were certainly signs it was all for show.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025

That pretty much sums the Spaniard up: Honest, direct and not one for show.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2025

Those muscles weren't just for show after all.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

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.