show-off

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: the act of showing off
2
: one that shows off : exhibitionist
show-offy adjective

show off

2 of 2

verb

showed off; shown off or showed off; showing off; shows off

transitive verb

: to display proudly
wanted to show our new car off

intransitive verb

: to seek to attract attention by conspicuous behavior
boys showing off for the girls

Examples of show-off in a Sentence

Verb the athletes warmed up, happily showing off for the crowd before the match officially started she just wants to show off her new jewelry
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Molded traction keeps you on your feet even when the ground is wet, while colors range from sensible black to show-off pistachio frost or pulse yellow. Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2023 But for untold millions, a show-off staircase is a slap. Curbed, 19 July 2023 Fortunately, Paul was greedy in creating her role as Bobby Flanagan, the show-off lawyer representing Josh in his trial for the murder of a cabaret singer. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 10 June 2023 These are the show-offs, the leaders, the people who are going to be on the cutting edge. Madison Feller, ELLE, 28 Apr. 2023 Underwater diving ability is the Huawei Watch Ultimate’s real show-off point. Andrew Williams, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023 Pansies are the larger, show-off versions of their small, dainty-looking viola cousins. Jeanne Ambrose, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023
Verb
In August 2021, the couple showed off their romance as the actress shared a number of engagement photos. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Every year, the United Irish Societies of San Francisco host a large Saint Patrick’s Day Parade showing off colorful floats, Irish dance troupes, marching bands and community groups. Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 In February, the company showed off a new video-generating tool that makes realistic-looking AI videos. Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The song was released in 2017 and sports a trend of people showing off relationship texts while the song’s chorus plays. Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 Or the other clay vessel showing off a long black ponytail, a gold-toothed grin and blue sunglasses. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Her silky, spaghetti-strap dress featured ruching at the bodice to give it a figure-hugging fit and a low neckline to show off her curves. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2024 That's not stopping some well-heeled tech companies from trying to keep outdoing each other in showing off higher-quality AI video generation at longer durations. Matt O'Brien, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Throughout, Stapleton and his band consistently played to serve the songs at hand, not to show off. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'show-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1750, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of show-off was in 1750

Dictionary Entries Near show-off

Cite this Entry

“Show-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/show-off. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

show-off

1 of 2 noun
ˈshō-ˌȯf
1
: the act of showing off
2
: a person who shows off

show off

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)shō-ˈȯf
1
: to display proudly
2
: to try to attract attention by conspicuous behavior
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