show
Americanverb (used with object)
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shows,
present (3rd person singular)
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showed,
past participle, past
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shown,
past participle
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showing
present participle
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to cause or allow to be seen; exhibit; display.
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to present or perform as a public entertainment or spectacle.
to show a movie.
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to indicate; point out.
to show the way.
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to guide, escort, or usher.
He showed me to my room. Show her in.
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to explain or make clear; make known.
He showed what he meant.
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to make known to; inform, instruct, or prove to.
I'll show you what I mean.
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to prove; demonstrate.
His experiment showed the falsity of the theory.
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to indicate, register, or mark.
The thermometer showed 10 below zero.
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to exhibit or offer for sale.
to show a house.
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to allege, as in a legal document; plead, as a reason or cause.
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to produce, as facts in an affidavit or at a hearing.
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to express or make evident by appearance, behavior, speech, etc..
to show one's feelings.
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to accord or grant (favor, kindness, etc.).
He showed mercy in his decision.
verb (used without object)
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shows,
present (3rd person singular)
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showed,
past participle, past
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shown,
past participle
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showing
present participle
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to be seen; be or become visible.
Does my slip show?
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to be seen in a certain way.
to show to advantage.
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to put on an exhibition or performance; display one's goods or products.
Several dress designers are showing in New York now.
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Informal. to be present or keep an appointment; show up.
He said he would be there, but he didn't show.
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to finish third in a horse race, harness race, etc.
noun
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shows
plural
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a theatrical production, performance, or company.
We’d like to catch a Broadway show while we’re in the city!
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a radio or television program.
The show is on Tuesdays at 8:00.
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a movie.
Grab a popcorn and a drink before the show starts.
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an exposition for dealers or the public of products by various manufacturers in a particular industry, usually held in an exhibition hall, convention facility, or the like.
the annual boat show.
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any kind of public exhibition or exposition.
a show of Renoirs.
- Synonyms:
- spectacle
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ostentatious display.
nothing but mere show.
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a display, exhibition, or demonstration.
a true show of freedom.
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an indication; trace.
He frowned on the slightest show of emotion.
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the position of the competitor who comes in third in a horse race, harness race, etc.
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appearance; impression.
to make a sorry show.
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a sight or spectacle.
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an unreal or deceptive appearance.
The actress's tears had the show of grief.
- Synonyms:
- illusion, simulation, pretense, deception
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an act or instance of showing.
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Informal. a chance.
to get a fair show.
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Medicine/Medical.
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the first appearance of blood at the onset of menstruation.
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a blood-tinged mucous discharge from the vagina that indicates the onset of labor.
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Chiefly British Informal. any undertaking, group of persons, event, etc.; affair; thing.
verb phrase
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show off
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to display ostentatiously.
The parade was designed to show off all the latest weapons of war.
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to seek to gain attention by displaying prominently one's abilities or accomplishments.
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show up
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to make known, as faults; expose; reveal.
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to exhibit in a certain way; appear.
White shows up well against a blue background.
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to come to or arrive at a place.
We waited for two hours, but he didn't show up.
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to make (another) seem inferior; outdo.
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idioms
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steal the show,
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to get the most attention, applause, or credit for something: I did all the work, but my partner stole the show.
No doubt the three stars are all very talented, but the little boy stole the show.
I did all the work, but my partner stole the show.
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to be the most pleasing or spectacular item or person in a group.
The entrées at this restaurant are always good, but expect dessert to steal the show!
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stop the show, to win such enthusiastic applause that a theatrical performance is temporarily interrupted.
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run the show, to control a business, situation, etc.; be in charge.
My father runs the show in our house.
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make a show of, to be ostentatious about; affect.
Whenever there are visitors, the bosses make a show of being nice to their employees.
verb
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to make, be, or become visible or noticeable
to show one's dislike
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(tr) to present to view; exhibit
he showed me a picture
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(tr) to indicate or explain; prove
to show that the earth moves round the sun
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(tr) to exhibit or present (oneself or itself) in a specific character
to show oneself to be trustworthy
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(tr; foll by how and an infinitive) to instruct by demonstration
show me how to swim
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(tr) to indicate or register
a barometer shows changes in the weather
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(tr) to grant or bestow
to show favour to someone
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(intr) to appear
to show to advantage
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to exhibit, display, or offer (goods, etc) for sale
three artists were showing at the gallery
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(tr) to allege, as in a legal document
to show cause
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to present (a play, film, etc) or (of a play, etc) to be presented, as at a theatre or cinema
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(tr) to guide or escort
please show me to my room
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to conduct a person into a room or building by opening the door for him
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to conduct a person out of a room or building by opening the door for him
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(intr) to win a place in a horse race, etc
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to give a performance of riding and handling (a horse) to display its best points
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informal (intr) to put in an appearance; arrive
noun
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a display or exhibition
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a public spectacle
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an ostentatious or pretentious display
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a theatrical or other entertainment
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a trace or indication
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obstetrics a discharge of blood at the onset of labour
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informal a chance; opportunity (esp in the phrases give someone a show, he's got no show of winning, etc)
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a sporting event consisting of contests in which riders perform different exercises to show their skill and their horses' ability and breeding
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slang a thing or affair (esp in the phrases good show, bad show, etc)
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mining a slight indication of the presence of gold
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a display of farm animals, with associated competitions
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in order to attract attention
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informal to take charge of or manage an affair, business, etc
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to draw the most attention or admiration, esp unexpectedly
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informal
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(of a stage act, etc) to receive so much applause as to interrupt the performance
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to be received with great enthusiasm
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Usage
What are other ways to say show?
The noun show refers to any type of display, exhibition, or demonstration. How does it compare to display, ostentation, and pomp? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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supershownoun
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reshowverb
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outshowverb (used with object)
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preshowadjective
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showableadjective
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showlessadjective
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unshowableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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showsimple
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showssimple
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have showedperfect
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have shownperfect
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has showedperfect
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has shownperfect
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am showingprogressive
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are showingprogressive
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is showingprogressive
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have been showingperfect progressive
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has been showingperfect progressive
Past
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showedsimple
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had showedperfect
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had shownperfect
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was showingprogressive
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were showingprogressive
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had been showingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of show
First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English showen, s(c)hewen “to look at, show,” Old English scēawian “to look at”; cognate with Dutch schowen, German schauen; (noun) Middle English s(c)hew(e), derivative of the verb
Explanation
Remember show and tell? To show something is to display something, to share it, or to put on a little show about it. Show is a word with many meanings, but they're closely related. There are TV and radio shows, and a play is also a show. In those cases, shows are types of entertainment. You can also say, "Let me show you something." You can show by pointing at something, but showing can also mean proving something. A lawyer needs to show why his client is innocent. People who can't stop showing things are called show-offs.
Vocabulary lists containing show
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:
New figures show sewage was released into rivers, lakes and the sea around Wales for more than 800,000 hours last year.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Welcome to “The Breakdown,” the ESPN2 show in which Manning and Kuechly provide different perspectives from opposite sides of the ball, discussing strategy, preparation and key storylines heading into marquee NFL matchups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Oil flows through Hormuz and linked routes have already started to decline in recent days, preliminary tracking data show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Our observations show that what appears to be a typical short gamma-ray burst can actually conceal a much longer and richer episode of activity at soft X-ray energies."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
He lifted his hand to show her the bowls but then realized he had forgotten them.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
From sold-out shows to a skyrocketing social media following and the release of his first Netflix special, “Buy the Dip,” last month, it’s been amazing the difference a year makes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Figure 1 below divides people ages 55 to 64 and those 65-plus into five roughly equal income groups, from low to high, and shows their credit-card debt divided by their income.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
While some other shows that went exclusively to Spotify lost audience, “The Joe Rogan Experience” has grown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
That distinction matters because it shows that the evolutionary relationship between the two codons is not as restrictive as scientists had assumed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
In TV shows and movies, no matter how horrible the dead people looked, you always knew they were fake.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
In one example, Adidas claimed that an online listing from June 2025 showed a pair of White Fox-branded socks being modelled by someone wearing pink Adidas shoes.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
In just his second game for Oklahoma State, Mestemaker showed that it was money well spent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
But New England showed something last week in knocking off Buffalo, and it makes a big difference when Drake Maye doesn’t turn it over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
That happened in May, when a traffic stop led to a car being pulled over near a polling place, and ICE agents showed up to question the driver.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
I was going to be the best of the best someday, commander in chief, but today’s simulation showed just how far I still had to go to get there.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Research has shown that fathers, especially men in their 20s through early 40s, are disproportionately affected by preventable causes of death including suicide, overdose, homicide and accidental injury.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Industry has shown some resilience, while France’s relatively low dependence on imported fossil fuels has insulated it from some of the energy price shock when compared to other European economies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
TMO: You’ve now shown at many fashion weeks around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
An interesting knock-on effect of this, and a nod to England's overarching evolution, has been the intensity England have shown as they have attacked.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The slate was shown blank at the start of the séance, and after the spirits visited, messages to the living would appear.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Arsenal's latest home design was released in May, but we were sent photographs showing it inside Trax months earlier.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
So instead of showing up to training camp in 2017, he decided to become a full-time student again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The side effects of rising mortgage rates are already showing up as price cuts have climbed and newly pending sales have dropped.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Despite showing no reduction in total body weight, the mice that performed strength training had less mesenteric adipose tissue than the sedentary obese mice.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Glancing up, I saw frozen images on all three monitors showing the same Butterfly in various degrees of capture.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
