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English dictionary

show Meaning & Definition

/ʃəʊ/

What Does Show Mean?

As a verb, show means To display, convey or exhibit; to have something available for others to see; to direct attention to something. It is also used to mean To indicate; to convey facts that lead to a conclusion. As a noun, it means A play, dance, or other entertainment. As a noun, it means Synonym of shive (“wood fragment of the husk of flax or hemp”).

Word Facts for Show

Part of speechverb, noun
Pronunciation//ʃəʊ//
Syllables1
Synonymsexhibit, display and present
Antonymsconceal, hide and confute
Pluralshows
Verb formsshows, showing, showed, shown

Show Definition (Verb)

  1. To display, convey or exhibit; to have something available for others to see; to direct attention to something.

    The king showed great wisdom in his decisions.

  2. To indicate; to convey facts that lead to a conclusion.

    The record shows that you have been late twelve times this year.

  3. To guide or escort; to show the way.

    Could you please show him on his way. He has overstayed his welcome.

  4. To bestow; to confer.

    to show mercy; to show favour

  5. To put on a movie, TV show, etc; to be presented in this way.

    The cinema on Ninth Avenue is showing a couple family movies.

  6. To display artwork in a gallery or museum.

    John is showing his work tonight.

  7. To display on offer.

    The store on Eighth Street is showing the new spring collection in the window.

  8. To give hints to the apparent or purported nature of one's hand of cards.

    There's a bunch of ways to show a bad hand.

  9. To reveal one's hand of cards.

    He just wanted to finish this hand, so he showed as soon as he could.

  10. To participate in a dog show, cat show, etc.; to compete with an animal at such a show; to be entered and displayed at such a show.

    That's why we don't show in Philadelphia anymore.

  11. To prove (a fact) to be true; to demonstrate; to instruct.

    We showed that the hypothesis is correct.

  12. To reveal one's condition or nature.

    She showed herself to be a jerk.

  13. To demonstrate to another that they are wrong; to vindicate to someone; to prove something to those who doubt it; to suffice as revenge against someone.

    She doesn't think I can win, so if I do, that'll show her.

  14. To be or become visible or apparent; to be seen or demonstrated; to appear or be made to appear.

    That wine stain shows on your shirt. You should wear a jacket to cover it up, so it doesn't show.

  15. To put in an appearance; show up.

    Nobody even showed at our party.

  16. To finish third in a race, especially in horse or dog racing.

    In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.

  17. To come into view on a screen; to become visible on a screen.

    An error message will show on your monitor.

  18. To have an enlarged belly and thus be recognizable as pregnant.

    She's not showing yet, so I didn't realize she was pregnant.

  19. To appear (a certain way).

    He showed tired after a long day's toil.

  20. To appear or suit; to reflect well or poorly on someone; to be fitting.

Show as a Noun

  1. A play, dance, or other entertainment.

    There were a thousand people at the show.

  2. An exhibition of items.

    art show;  dog show

  3. A broadcast program, especially a light entertainment program.

    radio show;  television show

  4. A movie.

    Let's catch a show.

  5. An agricultural exhibition.

    I'm taking the kids to the show on Tuesday.

  6. A project or presentation.

    Let's get on with the show.

  7. A demonstration.

    show of force

  8. Mere display or pomp with no substance. (Usually seen in the phrases "all show" and "for show".)

    The dog sounds ferocious but it's all show.

  9. Outward appearance; wileful or deceptive appearance.
  10. The major leagues.

    He played AA ball for years, but never made it to the show.

  11. A pale blue flame at the top of a candle flame, indicating the presence of firedamp.
  12. Pretence.
  13. Sign, token, or indication.
  14. Semblance; likeness; appearance.
  15. Plausibility.
  16. A discharge, from the vagina, of mucus streaked with blood, occurring a short time before labor.
  17. A battle; local conflict.
  18. A circular impression on sand, indicating the presence of a clam by its siphon.

Noun

  1. Synonym of shive (“wood fragment of the husk of flax or hemp”).

Noun

  1. A broadcast program/programme.

    radio show;  television show

  2. An agricultural show.

    I'm taking the kids to the show on Tuesday.

  3. (with "the") The major leagues.

    He played AA ball for years, but never made it to the show.

Verb

  1. To display, to have somebody see (something).

    All he had to show for four years of attendance at college was a framed piece of paper.

  2. To indicate (a fact) to be true; to demonstrate.
  3. To guide or escort.

    Could you please show him on his way. He has overstayed his welcome.

  4. To be visible; to be seen; to appear.

    At length, his gloom showed.

  5. (racing) To finish third, especially of horses or dogs.

    In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.

  6. To have a certain appearance, such as well or ill, fit or unfit; to become or suit; to appear.

Synonyms of Show

Show synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Show

Show in a Sentence

The king showed great wisdom in his decisions.

The actor showed Macbeth's confidence in this scene.

The car's dull finish showed years of neglect.

All he had to show for four years of attendance at college was a framed piece of paper.

I do some sculpturing, but I don't like to show anybody.

The record shows that you have been late twelve times this year.

Our schedule is showing appointments all day.

Could you please show him on his way. He has overstayed his welcome.

Who can show me to the office? I'll show you in.

If you get aggressive, the bouncer will show you to the door.

to show mercy; to show favour

show me the salt please

The cinema on Ninth Avenue is showing a couple family movies.

They showed episodes of some awful TV show on our flight.

The new Brad Pitt movie is showing at eight o'clock tonight.

John is showing his work tonight.

The Smithsonian shows most of that artist's work.

The store on Eighth Street is showing the new spring collection in the window.

There's a bunch of ways to show a bad hand.

He just wanted to finish this hand, so he showed as soon as he could.

That's why we don't show in Philadelphia anymore.

She's showing her poodle at the dog show.

Nibbles is showing at the California Cat Show.

We showed that the hypothesis is correct.

She is showing how to complete the task.

He doesn't just tell you how to do it, he shows you.

She showed herself to be a jerk.

That shows what kind of person he is.

She doesn't think I can win, so if I do, that'll show her.

I'll prove your innocence to show it to your accusers.

This experiment will show that my theory is right.

If he attacked you, I'll kick his ass. Getting beat up will show him.

That wine stain shows on your shirt. You should wear a jacket to cover it up, so it doesn't show.

Your bald patch is starting to show.

His experience showed, because he knew exactly what to do when the emergency happened.

Her hatred showed on her face.

Staining wood will make minor scratches show on the surface.

Nobody even showed at our party.

We waited for an hour, but they never showed, so we had to take the bus home.

In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.

An error message will show on your monitor.

A color fluctuation will show on your computer screen.

She's not showing yet, so I didn't realize she was pregnant.

He showed tired after a long day's toil.

There were a thousand people at the show.

art show;  dog show

radio show;  television show

They performed in the show.

I spotted my neighbour on the morning TV show.

Let's catch a show.

I'm taking the kids to the show on Tuesday.

Let's get on with the show.

Let's get this show on the road.

They went on an international road show to sell the shares to investors.

It was Apple's usual dog and pony show.

show of force

The dog sounds ferocious but it's all show.

He played AA ball for years, but never made it to the show.

art show;  dog show

radio show;  television show

Let's get on with the show.   Let's get this show on the road.   They went on an international road show to sell the shares to investors.   It was Apple's usual dog and pony show.

At length, his gloom showed.

We waited for an hour, but they never showed.

Word Forms & Grammar

show (third-person singular simple present shows, present participle showing, simple past showed or (archaic) shew, past participle shown or (US or rare) showed)

show (countable and uncountable, plural shows)

show (plural shows)

Words That Rhyme With Show

Origin of Show

Origin 1: From Middle English schewen, from Old English scēawian (“to look, look at, exhibit, display”), from Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn, from Proto-Germanic *skawwōną (“to look, see”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (“to heed, look, feel, take note of”); see haw, gaum, caveat, caution.

Origin 2: Cognate with Scots shaw (“to show”), Dutch schouwen (“to inspect, view”), German schauen (“to see, behold”), Danish skue (“to behold”). Related to sheen.

Origin 3: Wider cognates include Ancient Greek κῦδος (kûdos), Latin caveō whence English caution and caveat, Sanskrit कवि (kaví, “seer, prophet, bard”), Proto-Slavic *čuti (whence Russian чу́ять (čújatʹ) and many more).

Origin 4: From Middle English schewe, from the verb (schewen).[1][2]

Pronouncing Show

Show is pronounced //ʃəʊ// and has 1 syllable.

Show: Your Questions Answered

Is show a verb or a noun?

Show is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.

What is another word for show?

You can replace show with words such as exhibit, display and present. See the full list of show synonyms and antonyms.

What is the opposite of show?

Words opposite in meaning to show are conceal, hide, confute and disprove.

What is the plural of show?

The plural of show is shows.

What is the past tense of show?

The past tense of show is showed and the past participle is shown. The present participle is showing.

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