exhibition

American  

[ek-suh-bish-uhn] / ˌɛk səˈbɪʃ ən /

noun

exhibitions plural

1. an exhibiting, showing, or presenting to view.

2. a public display, as of the work of artists or artisans, the products of farms or factories, the skills of performers, or objects of general interest.

3. an exposition or large fair of extended duration, as a world's fair.

4. British. an allowance given to a student in a college, university, or school, usually upon the result of a competitive examination.

5. Medicine/Medical Obsolete. administration, as of a remedy.

---

exhibition British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈbɪʃən /

noun

1. a public display of art, products, skills, activities, etc

   a judo exhibition

2. the act of exhibiting or the state of being exhibited

3. to behave so foolishly in public that one excites notice or ridicule

4. an allowance or scholarship awarded to a student at a university or school

---

exhibition Idioms  

1. see make an exhibition of oneself.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexhibition
  noun
• preexhibition
  noun
• reexhibition
  noun
• self-exhibition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exhibitions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exhibition

1275–1325; Middle English exhibicion < Late Latin exhibitiōn- (stem of exhibitiō ) a presenting. See exhibit, -ion

Explanation

An exhibition is a collection of items for public display, like an exhibition of children’s artwork, antique vases, or memorabilia from a science fiction movie series. In the 19th century, exhibition was used to refer to a collection of objects, while exhibit designated a single item in an exhibition. Nowadays, exhibition and exhibit are often used interchangeably. Exhibition comes from the Latin ex-, meaning "out," and habere, meaning "hold" — as objects in an exhibition are "held out," or shown, to the public. The h in "hold out" might help you remember to include the h when spelling exhibition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exhibition exhibitions

Everything Must Go at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery was inspired by "things that are no longer with us", he said, describing his first major solo art exhibition as "a neon graveyard, full of colour".

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

More to the point, does anyone believe it wouldn’t sell its key assets to companies that aren’t committed to theatrical exhibition?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

After working with a 17-foot canoe as a centerpiece for the Huntington exhibition, Saar told Curate LA that she felt compelled to return to small-scale pieces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Our critic noted that “the exhibition amasses a remarkable range of portable abstract objects.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

All of our previous bilateral discussions had been laying the groundwork for these talks, which took place at the World Trade Centre, a modem exhibition center near Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

He would then display the bodies in lifelike poses, revealing their muscles, skeletons and internal organs in exhibitions that drew millions worldwide but also occasionally faced calls for bans.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Gunther von Hagens, the creator of the controversial "Body Worlds" exhibitions where dissected human and animal bodies were displayed, has died at the age of 81, according to his family.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

To market their goods, they turned to an informal network of African American artists, staging pop-up exhibitions in people’s homes and in other impromptu locations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Cinelandia” isn’t the museum’s first foray into identity-based exhibitions centered on underrepresented populations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

In addition, he made approximately $7,500 a year giving exhibitions and lectures.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady