expose
verb (used with object)
to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc..
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expose
1 American
[ik-spohz]
/ ɪkˈspoʊz /
verb (used with object)
-
exposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exposed,
past participle, past
-
exposing
present participle
-
to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc..
to expose soldiers to gunfire;
to expose one's character to attack.
- Synonyms:
- jeopardize, imperil, endanger, subject
-
to lay open to something specified.
to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions.
-
to uncover or bare to the air, cold, etc..
to expose one's head to the rain.
-
to present to view; exhibit; display.
The storekeeper exposed his wares.
-
to make known, disclose, or reveal (intentions, secrets, etc.).
-
to reveal or unmask (a crime, fraud, impostor, etc.).
to expose a swindler.
-
to hold up to public reprehension or ridicule (fault, folly, a foolish act or person, etc.).
-
to desert in an unsheltered or open place; abandon, as a child.
-
to subject, as to the action of something.
to expose a photographic plate to light.
idioms
exposé
2
American
[ek-spoh-zay]
/ ˌɛk spoʊˈzeɪ /
noun
expose
1
British
/ ɪkˈspəʊz /
verb
-
to display for viewing; exhibit
-
to bring to public notice; disclose; reveal
to expose the facts
-
to divulge the identity of; unmask
-
(foll by to) to make subject or susceptible (to attack, criticism, etc)
-
to abandon (a child, animal, etc) in the open to die
-
(foll by to) to introduce (to) or acquaint (with)
he was exposed to the classics at an early age
-
photog to subject (a photographic film or plate) to light, X-rays, or some other type of actinic radiation
-
RC Church to exhibit (the consecrated Eucharistic Host or a relic) for public veneration
-
to display one's sexual organs in public
exposé
2
British
/ ɛksˈpəʊzeɪ /
noun
-
the act or an instance of bringing a scandal, crime, etc, to public notice
-
an article, book, or statement that discloses a scandal, crime, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
exposabilitynoun
-
exposalnoun
-
exposernoun
-
exposableadjective
-
self-exposingadjective
-
unexposableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exposesimple
-
exposessimple
-
have exposedperfect
-
has exposedperfect
-
am exposingprogressive
-
are exposingprogressive
-
is exposingprogressive
-
have been exposingperfect progressive
-
has been exposingperfect progressive
Past
-
exposedsimple
-
had exposedperfect
-
was exposingprogressive
-
were exposingprogressive
-
had been exposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of expose1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English exposen, from Old French exposer, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + poser “to put” ( see pose 1), replacing Latin expōnere “to put out, expose, set forth in words”; see expound
Origin of exposé2
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, noun use of past participle of exposer expose
Explanation
To expose means to uncover or allow to be in the open air. If you take off your coat and expose your bare arms to the terrible cold, your tattoos might freeze off. (Note: We don’t actually know if this is physically possible.) When you pronounce expose as it’s spelled, it can mean to leave out in the air, to put in peril (when you expose someone to danger), or to uncover. All of those examples are actions. However, when you pronounce it as though there is a French accent on the final "e," ex-poh-ZAY, it means the unmasking or exposure of something hidden (and usually bad or fraudulent), as when you watch an expose on 60 Minutes about the evils of frozen orange juice or some other toxic substance.
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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:
In a typical physics experiment, researchers can expose a detector to a beam containing a known type of particle with a specific energy and direction.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
If a single stock holding grows too large, it can expose you to overconcentration risk and potentially derail your broader financial goals if that sector hits a prolonged bump.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Raising the ante in any new fight would expose Iran’s infrastructure to attack when its economy is teetering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Torres threatened to expose the relationship to her employer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Each time, the sheet was lifted only high enough to expose the area we were washing, making it feel as though there wasn’t a whole person beneath the linen, just a puzzle of disembodied parts.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
I came in search of an exposé and found a humble tram driver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Three months before Princess Diana agreed to marry Prince Charles, the Sunday Mirror published the “Royal Train Scandal” exposé.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Whereas the European gothic, he concludes, was “an enlightened attack on a debased ruling class or entrenched superstition,” its American version emerged as “a Calvinist exposé of natural human corruption.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The unlikely vehicle is not some glamorous investigative exposé or Pulitzer-winning newsroom crusade.
From Salon ● May 13, 2026
An exposé of Spiritualism appeared in the October 21, 1888, issue of the New York World.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
And Ms. Bioh has the girls’ attitudes to her take an implausibly abrupt turn from sycophancy to snickering mockery when Ericka exposes the hollowness of her pretensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The retreating ice exposes Arctic coastlines to waves, worsening coastal erosion and raising risks for coastal communities and infrastructure, the report warned.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
This also exposes the bearish case, which investors should not ignore.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
One exposes inflammatory genes, while the other provides the immune signal needed to activate them.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The young rocks are on top, but as the river digs deeper, it exposes older and older layers.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Deep, twisted canyons cut into the mountainsides, their channels lined with aspen, before the forests give way to the exposed granite slopes and summits rising above 14,000 feet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The BBC has spoken to residents living near the site who would like their blood tested to determine if they have been disproportionately exposed.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
A U.N. official says Arab economies must invest more in productive sectors after the war in Iran exposed structural weaknesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Although astronauts near the Moon are exposed to more radiation than those in low Earth orbit, the difference is not necessarily as dramatic as might be assumed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Seven nodded, and together they walked into the Cursed Forest and into a clearing where Seven would be completely exposed.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
This allowed the researchers to construct a detailed three-dimensional picture of the superconductor's interior, exposing structural variations that conventional techniques had not revealed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
“As attorney general, I’ve sued some of the largest companies in the world … for taking advantage of our kids by exposing them to dangerous, addictive material,” Paxton said after defeating Cornyn in May.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
A string of artificial-intelligence safety incidents is exposing a gaping hole for the fast-growing industry: the lack of available insurance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Digital sleuths have for years misidentified accused perpetrators of high-profile shootings and other crimes, exposing them to abuse.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ekon tried to pull out of its grasp, but the creature smiled, exposing a set of pointed white teeth.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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