show-off
noun
a person given to pretentious display.
show-off
American
[shoh-awf, -of]
/ ˈʃoʊˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
Also
showoff
noun
show-offs
plural
-
a person given to pretentious display.
- Synonyms:
- braggart, exhibitionist
-
the act of showing off.
show off
British
verb
-
(tr) to exhibit or display so as to invite admiration
-
informal (intr) to behave in such a manner as to make an impression
noun
show off
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of show-off
First recorded in 1770–80; noun use of verb phrase show off
Explanation
If you tend to brag about your accomplishments or flaunt your possessions, you're a show-off. If you make sure everyone in your art class notices your brand new laptop, they'll call you a show-off. It's important to a show-off that everyone notices them. Whether bragging about their grade on the math test, parading their fancy new hat through the school hallways, or demonstrating their ability to juggle five oranges at once, a show-off really enjoys spectators. The verb show off came first, while the noun appeared around 1920, defined as "a person who makes a deliberate and ostentatious display."
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:
Baz Luhrmann, the master showman, or at least show-off, of musical cinema, gives fair notice of his purpose in a big-screen offering tailored to IMAX, “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Seeking eternal life, he learns the secret of 72 Transformations from a venerated Buddhist teacher and then becomes an irreverent show-off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2025
Despite having the skills, Lupe's not a show-off on the field or off.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2022
The peanut gallery, up front, consists of the older brother, who is driving, and his mother, who is wittier than her husband but less of a show-off.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
It was plain that he was getting a big laugh out of how that show-off squirrel had made such a fool of himself.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Tesla had initially planned to show off the robot earlier this year but delayed doing so, citing concerns that rivals could copy its designs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
At the air show, makers of everything from passenger planes to military drones show off their hardware to woo prospective customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
His audition involved playing a football match against the TV show's existing actors to show off his skills, after which he was cast as a squad member.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
He apparently wants to prepare for college by being used in a more versatile role catching passes out of the backfield to show off his many skills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
The boys mostly flocked around the punch bowl and tried to show off with each other.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
In May, state-controlled newspaper Global Times reported that an internet celebrity called Wanghongquanxing was banned from social media "amid a crackdown on online wealth show-offs."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2024
But the show-offs want to scoop it up and run the fumble into the end zone.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2019
That doesn’t mean it’s an album for show-offs.
From The Verge ● Aug. 11, 2016
They typically favour loyal insiders, not show-offs who promise dramatic change.
From Economist ● Mar. 10, 2016
Even though Mr. Skerritt didn’t want me to, I add more to the list of sounds I hate—un-silent reading, trash cans knocked over, flute show-offs.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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.
