Meaning of show in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /ʃoʊ/

    US accent Play button

    UK accent Play button

  1. Verb

    show

    Etymology

    Old English scēawian ‘look at, inspect’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘look’; related to Dutch schouwen and German schauen

    Definitions

    1. show or demonstrate something to an interested audience

    Examples

    • « She shows her dogs frequently »
    • « We will demo the new software in Washington »
  2. 2. establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment

    Examples

    • « The experiment demonstrated the instability of the compound »
    • « The mathematician showed the validity of the conjecture »

    Antonyms

  3. 3. provide evidence for

    Examples

    • « The blood test showed that he was the father »
    • « Her behavior testified to her incompetence »
  4. 4. make visible or noticeable

    Examples

    • « She showed her talent for cooking »
    • « Show me your etchings, please »

    Antonyms

  5. 5. show in, or as in, a picture

    Examples

    • « This scene depicts country life »
    • « the face of the child is rendered with much tenderness in this painting »
  6. 6. give expression to

    Examples

    • « She showed her disappointment »
  7. 7. indicate a place, direction, person, or thing

    Examples

    • « either spatially or figuratively »
    • « I showed the customer the glove section »
    • « He pointed to the empty parking space »
    • « he indicated his opponents »
  8. 8. make clear and visible

    Examples

    • « The article revealed the policies of the government »
  9. 9. be or become visible or noticeable

    Examples

    • « His good upbringing really shows »
    • « The dirty side will show »
  10. 10. indicate a certain reading

    Examples

    • « of gauges and instruments »
    • « The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero »
    • « The gauge read 'empty' »
  11. 11. give evidence of, as of records

    Examples

    • « The diary shows his distress that evening »
  12. 12. show (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums

    Examples

    • « The usher showed us to our seats »
  13. 13. finish third or better in a horse or dog race

    Examples

    • « he bet $2 on number six to show »

  14. Noun

    show

    Definitions

    1. a public exhibition of entertainment

    Examples

    • « a remarkable show of skill »
  15. 2. something intended to communicate a particular impression

    Examples

    • « made a display of strength »
    • « a show of impatience »
    • « a good show of looking interested »
  16. 3. a public exhibition or entertainment

    Examples

    • « they wanted to see some of the shows on Broadway »
  17. 4. pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression

    Examples

    • « they try to keep up appearances »
    • « that ceremony is just for show »