for show
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
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 • Dec. 26, 2025
"The young people didn't get to use them due to lack of staff, so it was just for show," she said.
From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025
Still, there were certainly signs it was all for show.
From Slate • Aug. 4, 2025
Most of the buildings in town look like they’re from old-timey days, maybe when you were young, with those tall fronts that are just for show, like in Wild West movies.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
