show-off
noun
a person given to pretentious display.
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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
And the moneyed elite started building their houses higher and higher above the basin, forever seeking the trophy perch with the show-off view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2023
A former reality TV contestant is a "self-obsessed show-off" who will do anything to boost his own fame, a court heard.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2022
When she boasted of speaking five languages, being an avid skier, having a master's degree and studying for her interior design license, I rolled my eyes, labelling her an overachieving show-off like her husband.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2022
A fourth-grade student, I was no longer the show-off in front of my parents.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Tesla was initially meant to show off the latest version of the robot earlier this year, but canceled its plans.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The arias follow the conventions of the period with plenty of coloratura and opportunities to show off, but Mozart’s preternatural ability to create character is already present.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
In the Diamond League, athletes are free to show off their own sponsors who provide them with funding by wearing their own kits.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Anyone who requests a song from this record is just trying to show off.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
He opened his mouth wide to show off his teeth, said “HAROOF,” and sat back down in the snow.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Even your author snubbed the offer of a mobile phone in 1997 convinced they'd only be for "show-offs" and would never really catch on.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2023
The Connecticut-based hosts share how to cope with show-offs, judgmental people and self-destructive individuals, among other unsavory friendships.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2020
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
Four hands shot in the air, and I heard Regan mutter something about show-offs under her breath.
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.
