show

/ʃoʊ/
/ʃəʊ/
IPA guide

Other forms: showed; shown; shows; showing

Remember show and tell? To show something is to display something, to share it, or to put on a little show about it.

Show is a word with many meanings, but they're closely related. There are TV and radio shows, and a play is also a show. In those cases, shows are types of entertainment. You can also say, "Let me show you something." You can show by pointing at something, but showing can also mean proving something. A lawyer needs to show why his client is innocent. People who can't stop showing things are called show-offs.

Definitions of show
  1. verb
    make visible or noticeable
    “She showed her talent for cooking”
    “Show me your etchings, please”
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    antonyms:
    hide
    prevent from being seen or discovered
    types:
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    give
    present to view
    reflect
    show an image of
    peep
    cause to appear
    project
    project on a screen
    do justice
    bring out fully or to advantage
    flash
    expose or show briefly
    screen
    project onto a screen for viewing
    display, exhibit, expose, showcase
    show; make visible or apparent
    fly
    display in the air or cause to float
    bring out, reveal, uncover, unveil
    make visible
    demo, demonstrate, exhibit, present
    give an exhibition of to an interested audience
    etch
    cause to stand out or be clearly defined or visible
    define, delineate
    show the form or outline of
    bring home
    make understandable and clear
    disclose, expose
    disclose to view as by removing a cover
    silhouette
    project on a background, such as a screen, like a silhouette
    open
    display the contents of a file or start an application as on a computer
    bring forth, produce
    bring out for display
    hold up
    hold up something as an example; hold up one's achievements for admiration
    bench
    exhibit on a bench
    moon
    expose one's buttocks to
    flash, flaunt, ostentate, show off, swank
    display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously
    brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    model
    display (clothes) as a mannequin
    model, pose, posture, sit
    assume a posture as for artistic purposes
    excavate, unearth
    recover through digging
    trot out
    bring out and show for inspection and admiration
    unfold
    open to the view
    gibbet, pillory
    expose to ridicule or public scorn
    curate
    select and present content or information
  2. verb
    give expression to
    “She showed her disappointment”
    synonyms: evince, express
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    types:
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    sneer
    express through a scornful smile
    connote, imply
    express or state indirectly
    burst out
    give sudden release to an expression
    evoke, paint a picture, suggest
    call to mind
    imply
    suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic
    give
    manifest or show
    exude
    make apparent by one's mood or behavior
    give vent, vent, ventilate
    give expression or utterance to
    articulate, formulate, give voice, phrase, word
    put into words or an expression
    accent, accentuate, emphasise, emphasize, punctuate, stress
    stress; single out as important
    menace
    express a threat either by an utterance or a gesture
    beam
    express with a beaming face or smile
    smile
    express with a smile
    background, downplay, play down
    understate the importance or quality of
    bring out, set off
    direct attention to, as if by means of contrast
    presuppose, suppose
    require as a necessary antecedent or precondition
    ask
    direct or put; seek an answer to
    re-emphasise, re-emphasize
    emphasize anew
    bear down
    pay special attention to
    rip out
    burst out with a violent or profane utterance
    intimate, suggest
    imply as a possibility
    connote, predicate
    involve as a necessary condition of consequence; as in logic
    lexicalise, lexicalize
    make or coin into a word or accept a new word into the lexicon of a language
    dogmatise, dogmatize
    state as a dogma
    formularise, formularize
    express as a formula
    cast, couch, frame, put, redact
    formulate in a particular style or language
    topicalize
    emphasize by putting heavy stress on or by moving to the front of the sentence
    point up
    emphasize, especially by identification
    drive home, press home, ram home
    make clear by special emphasis and try to convince somebody of something
    emphasise, emphasize, underline, underscore
    give extra weight to (a communication)
    reek, smack, smell
    have an element suggestive (of something)
    imply, incriminate, inculpate
    suggest that someone is guilty
    type of:
    convey
    make known; pass on, of information
  3. verb
    be or become visible or noticeable
    “His good upbringing really shows”
    “The dirty side will show”
    synonyms: show up
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    types:
    register
    show in one's face
    type of:
    appear
    come into sight or view
  4. verb
    show in, or as in, a picture
    synonyms: depict, picture, render
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    types:
    illustrate
    depict with an illustration
    map
    depict as if on a map
    type of:
    interpret, represent
    create an image or likeness of
  5. verb
    give an exhibition of to an interested audience
    “She shows her dogs frequently”
    synonyms: demo, demonstrate, exhibit, present
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    types:
    bring home
    make understandable and clear
    curate
    select and present content or information
  6. verb
    indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
    “I showed the customer the glove section”
    synonyms: designate, indicate, point
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    point
    indicate the presence of (game) by standing and pointing with the muzzle
    finger
    indicate the fingering for the playing of musical scores for keyboard instruments
    call attention, point out, signalise, signalize
    point out carefully and clearly
    reflect
    manifest or bring back
    type of:
    inform
    impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to
  7. verb
    indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments
    “The thermometer showed thirteen degrees below zero”
    synonyms: read, record, register
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    types:
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    say
    indicate
    strike
    indicate (a certain time) by striking
    attest
    establish or verify the usage of
    surcharge
    show an omission in (an account) for which credit ought to have been given
    type of:
    indicate
    state or express briefly
  8. noun
    something intended to communicate a particular impression
    “a show of impatience”
    “a good show of looking interested”
    synonyms: display
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    types:
    big stick
    a display of force or power
    gaudery, pomp
    cheap or pretentious or vain display
    type of:
    demo, demonstration
    a visual presentation showing how something works
  9. noun
    the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
    “a remarkable show of skill”
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    carnival, fair, funfair
    a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.
    dog show
    a competitive exhibition of dogs
    horseshow
    a competitive exhibition of horses
    raree-show
    a street show
    circus
    a performance given by a traveling company of acrobats, clowns, and trained animals
    cabaret, floor show, floorshow
    a series of acts at a night club
    ice show
    any entertainment performed by ice skaters
    entr'acte, interlude, intermezzo
    a brief show (music or dance etc) inserted between the sections of a longer performance
    display, exhibit, showing
    something shown to the public
    demonstration, presentation, presentment
    a show or display; the act of presenting something to sight or view
    demonstration
    a show of military force or preparedness
    road show
    a show on tour
    sideshow
    a minor show that is part of a larger one (as at the circus)
    Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Wild West Show
    a spectacular show organized in 1883 by William F. Cody that featured horseback riding and marksmanship on a large scale; toured the United States and Europe
    three-ring circus
    a circus with simultaneous performances in three rings
    parade
    a visible display
    light show
    a display of colored lights moving in shifting patterns
    exhibition
    the act of exhibiting
    exposure
    presentation to view in an open or public manner
    performance
    the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment
    lecture demonstration
    presentation of an example of what the lecturer is discoursing about
    counterdemonstration
    a demonstration held in opposition to another demonstration
    type of:
    amusement, entertainment
    an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention
  10. noun
    a social event involving a public performance or entertainment
    “they wanted to see some of the shows on Broadway”
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    choreography, stage dancing
    a show involving artistic dancing
    film, flick, motion picture, motion-picture show, movie, moving picture, moving-picture show, pic, picture, picture show
    a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
    attraction
    an entertainment that is offered to the public
    broadcast, program, programme
    a radio or television show
    performance, public presentation
    a dramatic or musical entertainment
    burlesque
    a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor; consists of comic skits and short turns (and sometimes striptease)
    play
    a theatrical performance of a drama
    galanty show, shadow play, shadow show
    a drama executed by throwing shadows on a wall
    puppet play, puppet show
    a show in which the actors are puppets
    variety, variety show
    a show consisting of a series of short unrelated performances
    ballet, concert dance
    a theatrical representation of a story that is performed to music by trained dancers
    modern dance
    a style of theatrical dancing that is not as restricted as classical ballet; movements are expressive of feelings
    apache dance
    a violent fast dance in French vaudeville (an apache is a member of the French underworld)
    belly dance, belly dancing, danse du ventre
    a Middle Eastern dance in which the dancer makes sensuous movements of the hips and abdomen
    bolero
    a Spanish dance in triple time accompanied by guitar and castanets
    cakewalk
    a strutting dance based on a march; was performed in minstrel shows; originated as a competition among Black dancers to win a cake
    cancan
    a high-kicking dance of French origin performed by a female chorus line
    nude dancing
    erotic dancing with little or no clothing
    telefilm
    a movie that is made to be shown on television
    feature, feature film
    the principal (full-length) film in a program at a movie theater
    final cut
    the final edited version of a movie as approved by the director and producer
    travelog, travelogue
    a film or illustrated lecture on traveling
    home movie
    a film made at home by an amateur photographer
    counterattraction
    a rival attraction
    collage film
    a movie that juxtaposes different kinds of footage
    coming attraction
    a movie that is advertised to draw customers
    shoot-'em-up
    a movie featuring shooting and violence
    short subject
    a brief film; often shown prior to showing the feature
    docudrama, documentary, documentary film, infotainment
    a film or TV program presenting the facts about a person or event
    cinema verite
    a movie that shows ordinary people in actual activities without being controlled by a director
    film noir
    a movie that is marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, menace, and cynical characters
    skin flick
    a pornographic movie
    rough cut
    the first print of a movie after preliminary editing
    silent movie, silent picture, silents
    a movie without a soundtrack
    slow motion
    a movie that apparently takes place at a slower than normal speed; achieved by taking the film at a faster rate
    talkie, talking picture
    a movie with synchronized speech and singing
    3-D, 3D, three-D
    a movie with images having three dimensional form or appearance
    news, news program, news show
    a program devoted to current events, often using interviews and commentary
    rerun
    a program that is broadcast again
    chat show, talk show
    a program during which well-known people discuss a topic or answer questions from the audience
    TV program, TV show, television program, television show
    a program broadcast by television
    game show, giveaway
    a television or radio program in which contestants compete for awards
    serial, series
    a serialized set of programs
    episode, installment, instalment
    a part of a broadcast serial
    sustaining program
    a program without a commercial sponsor
    act, bit, number, routine, turn
    a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer program
    benefit
    a performance to raise money for a charitable cause
    concert
    a performance of music by players or singers not involving theatrical staging
    pianism
    performance by or technique of a pianist
    play reading
    performance of a play by a group of readers
    premiere
    the first public performance of a play or movie
    recital
    performance of music or dance especially by soloists
    rendering, rendition
    a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role etc.
    song and dance
    theatrical performance combining singing and dancing
    histrionics, representation, theatrical, theatrical performance
    a performance of a play
    spectacular
    a lavishly produced performance
    world premiere
    (music) the first public performance (as of a dramatic or musical work) anywhere in the world
    musical, musical comedy, musical theater
    a play or film whose action and dialogue is interspersed with singing and dancing
    curtain raiser
    a short play presented before the main play
    minstrel show
    a variety show in which the performers are made up in blackface
    review, revue
    a variety show with topical sketches and songs and dancing and comedians
    music hall, vaudeville
    a variety show with songs and comic acts etc.
    type of:
    social event
    an event characteristic of persons forming groups
  11. noun
    pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression
    “that ceremony is just for show”
    synonyms: appearance
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    type of:
    feigning, pretence, pretending, pretense, simulation
    the act of giving a false appearance
  12. verb
    establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
    “The mathematician showed the validity of the conjecture”
    synonyms: demonstrate, establish, prove, shew
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    prove oneself
    show one's ability or courage
    prove
    prove formally; demonstrate by a mathematical, formal proof
    contradict, negate
    prove negative; show to be false
    stultify
    prove to be of unsound mind or demonstrate someone's incompetence
    invalidate, nullify
    show to be invalid
    confute, disprove
    prove to be false
    type of:
    affirm, confirm, corroborate, substantiate, support, sustain
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
  13. verb
    give evidence of, as of records
    “The diary shows his distress that evening”
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    types:
    attest
    establish or verify the usage of
    surcharge
    show an omission in (an account) for which credit ought to have been given
    type of:
    read, record, register
    indicate a certain reading; of gauges and instruments
  14. verb
    provide evidence for
    synonyms: bear witness, evidence, prove, testify
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    attest, certify, demonstrate, evidence, manifest
    provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
    presume
    constitute reasonable evidence for
    abduce, adduce, cite
    advance evidence for
    authenticate
    establish the authenticity of something
    reflect
    give evidence of
    reflect
    give evidence of a certain behavior
    notarise, notarize
    authenticate as a notary
    condemn
    demonstrate the guilt of (someone)
    type of:
    inform
    impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to
  15. verb
    take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
    “The usher showed us to our seats”
    synonyms: usher
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    types:
    marshal
    lead ceremoniously, as in a procession
    type of:
    conduct, direct, guide, lead, take
    take somebody somewhere
  16. verb
    finish third or better in a horse or dog race
    “he bet $2 on number six to show”
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    type of:
    race, run
    compete in a race
Pronunciation
US
/ʃoʊ/
UK
/ʃəʊ/
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

A thorough survey of various textbooks, assignments, content area standards, and examinations yields the following list of words compiled by Jim Burke. You cannot expect to succeed on assignments if you do not understand the directions.

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