Synonyms

for show

Idioms

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.

I flush the toilet, just for show, and head back to class.

From Literature

Sometimes the thin line between love and hate, including the brand of disdain that’s just for show, can be bridged by a tuna melt.

From Salon

These dialectical images, of the natural and manufactured, the captured and cared for, show limbs hung with IV bags that feed nutrients to the flora, cacti supported by cathedral-like scaffolding, and stalks labeled with toe-tag-like notes.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I just thought, ‘Well, we have this exhibit where the tapes aren’t for sale; they’re for show.

From Los Angeles Times

“I thought it was just for show, but they were like, ‘Oh no, we aren’t wasting any grapes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

for show

Example Sentences

Related Words