as in to show off
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
the gymnast was showboating for the cameras when she lost her balance and fell
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of showboat
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
31 July 2024
Don’t showboat around the bases.
—
John Shea,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Apr. 2022
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Nov. 2024
Fonseca found Barbosa to be a showboat on Instagram, sure, but also unfailingly polite and generous.
—
Lauren Smiley,
WIRED,
10 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for showboat
Verb
Not even the biggest skeptic of American exceptionalism could deny the talent gap, which has often been so considerable that U.S. teams often take the opportunity to showboat during games, like the Harlem Globetrotters playing against the hapless Washington Generals.
—
Vulture Editors,
Vulture,
31 July 2024
Don’t showboat around the bases.
—
John Shea,
San Francisco Chronicle,
16 Apr. 2022
Noun
Still, the factor that may have been most harmful were his relationships with fellow Republican lawmakers, who regarded him as an empty showboat willing to hurt the party to gain attention.
—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Nov. 2024
Fonseca found Barbosa to be a showboat on Instagram, sure, but also unfailingly polite and generous.
—
Lauren Smiley,
WIRED,
10 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for showboat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for showboat
Verb
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On Monday, OpenAI will host its first-ever Cannes Lions event a few blocks away from the Palais where the awards are given, along the boulevard where the major tech players and ad holding companies have traditionally set up shop to show off to clients.
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The actress showed off micro bangs and a chin-grazing chop for her role as a manager.
Noun
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My father used a powerful glue to reassemble the cowboy, which twenty-five years later still smelled like orange peels.
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Baby chicks, resplendent in all of their downy softness, were a huge draw, and there was the promise of a cowboy performance with bucking broncos to highlight the rise of the American cowboy.
Verb
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Its asymmetrical riff on the classic bucket hat takes the usual cut up a notch.
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The new non-stop flights will cut up to four hours off travel time compared to current one-stop services.
Noun
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Haaland lifted his finger to his ear and looked into the crowd, where Norway fans were going berserk.
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Argentina strikes first in the 38th minute, and the massive Argentina faithful goes berserk inside the stadium.
Verb
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.
Verb
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When the Black Queen’s message arrives in the Riverlands, the king consort, lil’ Oscar Tully, and their new pal Roddy the Ruin are busy reveling, making up ballads dedicated to their own derring-do.
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The pair sequester themselves in a shed while guests revel outside in the sunshine.
Verb
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Another horny couple on vacation couldn’t wait until their flight landed to fool around and insisted on doing so in the plane's cabin.
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Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.
Verb
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Los Angeles stretches its NL West lead to 11 games and maintains MLB’s best record as Ohtani’s star power turns Sacramento’s nominal home crowd into a roaring Dodgers road show.
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The crowd will roar for the man who nearly delivered a World Series-winning homer.
Cite this Entry
“Showboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/showboat. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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