have to show for

Idioms

Be able to exhibit as a result of one's work or expenditure. For example, I've been working all day and I have absolutely nothing to show for it, or He has some very fine paintings to show for the vast amount of money he's spent. This idiom was first recorded in 1727.

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:

have to show for

It depends what they have to show for it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

What does she have to show for more than a decade of blood, sweat and tears?

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024

They had two of the greatest offensive seasons in Dodgers history in the same season, and what did they have to show for it?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

A few years later, what does Jay-Z have to show for his efforts to help the league embrace social justice?

From Washington Post ● Feb. 21, 2022

And now we’re about to graduate, and all I have to show for it is the saddest crush of the century.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli

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