exhibit
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To display or show for others to see.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihgzibitSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪɡˈzɪbɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest.
transitive
To demonstrate.
intransitive
To put on a public display.
noun
An instance of exhibiting.
Something shown to the public
“The museum had many exhibits of oriental art.”
A public showing; an exhibition.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest.
Used this way, exhibit is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use exhibit
- “The Metropolitan Museum is exhibiting Goya's works this month.”verb
- “The museum had many exhibits of oriental art.”noun
- “He exhibits a great talent.”verb
Share your sentence
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
To show how to use (something).
To display, to have somebody see (something).
To make a display; to act as one making a show or demonstration.
Synonym of show off: to display or reveal prominently or ostentatiously, especially in a kind of procession.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Someone who organizes an exhibit for others to see.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The act of exhibiting.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to display or show (something) for others to see
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “exhibit” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.