exposed; exposing
1
a
: to deprive of shelter, protection, or care : subject to risk from a harmful action or condition
expose troops needlessly
has not yet been exposed to measles
b
: to submit or make accessible to a particular action or influence
expose children to good books
especially
: to subject (a sensitive photographic film, plate, or paper) to radiant energy
c
: to abandon (an infant) especially by leaving in the open
2
a
: to make known : bring to light
expose a shameful secret
b
: to disclose the faults or crimes of
expose a murderer
exposer
noun
ex·po·sé
ˌek-spō-ˈzā 
-spə-
variants
or less commonly expose
1
: a formal statement of facts
2
: an exposure of something discreditable
a newspaper exposé of government corruption
Synonyms
Examples of expose in a Sentence
Verb
The shingles had fallen off, exposing the wood underneath.
Undercover investigators exposed the scam.
They threatened to expose him.
Noun
a newspaper exposé of government corruption
The show aired an exposé on the candidate's financial indiscretions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
People are also exposed to these forever chemicals through food, clothing, household products, dust and several other sources.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
According to court documents obtained by AL.com and WSFA 12 News, Kelley exposed her breasts and lower body at a busy intersection.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Has your health information been exposed? Federal law requires health care organizations to report to Health and Human Services any security breaches that expose patient information.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
The satin set from the 1999 spring/summer collection was also chartreuse, while modest overall, the actress exposed a little skin by leaving a few bottom buttons undone.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
The opening-up of 1842, forced by victorious Western powers, brought one idea that, along with Christianity, women’s rights, and self-government, Chinese had never been exposed to: the classical-liberal argument for market liberalization.
—Evan Osborne, National Review, 9 Apr. 2024
Research published in 2015 showed early introduction to peanut foods can reduce the chance of allergy development in kids who are at high risk, and several U.S. guidelines suggest exposing high-risk children to peanuts as early as 4 months.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Then, the Covid-19 pandemic, Beijing’s increasingly hostile posture toward Taiwan and a global chip shortage exposed the risks of such concentrated production.
—John Liu, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Anna Nemtsova, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024
The good thing about this is that figuring out what those paths are exposes where the attackers could potentially impact the organization.
—Christine Bejerasco, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
This page-turner is more than a damning expose of a charismatic P.T. Barnum–like leader.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2023
Stories from the shocking, unauthorized expose about Ray Dalio and Bridgewater Associates have circulated far and wide since it was published earlier this month.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Demand for hospice care will grow dramatically as the population ages, but staff shortages, corporate profiteering and a rash of Medicare fraud and billing scandals have roiled the industry, with recent exposes in the L.A. Times and a joint ProPublica-New Yorker investigation.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
In 2022, Honest Reporting published an expose showing that then-CNN producer Idris Mukhtar Ibrahim apparently praised Hamas and Hitler, prompting the outlet to stop working with him.
—Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2023
Greece’s railways long suffered from chronic mismanagement, including lavish spending on projects that were eventually abandoned or significantly delayed, Greek media have reported in several exposes.
—Demetris Nellas and Costas Kantouris, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2023
Following the expose into Brand, which was published on Sep. 16, the BBC, Channel 4 and Banijay UK, which employed Brand at various stages of his career and during the period where the allegations are said to have occurred, have each launched their own internal investigations.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2023
Verb
Every night Russian drones distract, expose, and deplete Ukrainian air defenses, and then the cruise and ballistic missiles rain down.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
People are also exposed to these forever chemicals through food, clothing, household products, dust and several other sources.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
According to court documents obtained by AL.com and WSFA 12 News, Kelley exposed her breasts and lower body at a busy intersection.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
Has your health information been exposed? Federal law requires health care organizations to report to Health and Human Services any security breaches that expose patient information.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
The satin set from the 1999 spring/summer collection was also chartreuse, while modest overall, the actress exposed a little skin by leaving a few bottom buttons undone.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
The opening-up of 1842, forced by victorious Western powers, brought one idea that, along with Christianity, women’s rights, and self-government, Chinese had never been exposed to: the classical-liberal argument for market liberalization.
—Evan Osborne, National Review, 9 Apr. 2024
Research published in 2015 showed early introduction to peanut foods can reduce the chance of allergy development in kids who are at high risk, and several U.S. guidelines suggest exposing high-risk children to peanuts as early as 4 months.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Then, the Covid-19 pandemic, Beijing’s increasingly hostile posture toward Taiwan and a global chip shortage exposed the risks of such concentrated production.
—John Liu, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
That same day, his anticorruption movement released a 110-minute expose detailing years of graft by Putin and his cronies.
—Anna Nemtsova, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024
The good thing about this is that figuring out what those paths are exposes where the attackers could potentially impact the organization.
—Christine Bejerasco, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
This page-turner is more than a damning expose of a charismatic P.T. Barnum–like leader.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2023
Stories from the shocking, unauthorized expose about Ray Dalio and Bridgewater Associates have circulated far and wide since it was published earlier this month.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Demand for hospice care will grow dramatically as the population ages, but staff shortages, corporate profiteering and a rash of Medicare fraud and billing scandals have roiled the industry, with recent exposes in the L.A. Times and a joint ProPublica-New Yorker investigation.
—Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
In 2022, Honest Reporting published an expose showing that then-CNN producer Idris Mukhtar Ibrahim apparently praised Hamas and Hitler, prompting the outlet to stop working with him.
—Gabe Kaminsky, Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2023
Greece’s railways long suffered from chronic mismanagement, including lavish spending on projects that were eventually abandoned or significantly delayed, Greek media have reported in several exposes.
—Demetris Nellas and Costas Kantouris, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2023
Following the expose into Brand, which was published on Sep. 16, the BBC, Channel 4 and Banijay UK, which employed Brand at various stages of his career and during the period where the allegations are said to have occurred, have each launched their own internal investigations.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French exposer, from Latin exponere to set forth, explain (perfect indicative exposui), from ex- + ponere to put, place — more at position
Noun
French exposé, from past participle of exposer
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of expose was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing expose
Dictionary Entries Near expose
Cite this Entry
“Expose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expose. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
expose
1 of 2 verb
ex·pose
ik-ˈspōz
exposed; exposing
1
a
: to leave without shelter, protection, or care
b
: to make open to an action or influence
expose students to good books
had been exposed to measles
especially
: to let light fall on (photographic film)
2
: to make known
expose a dishonest scheme
3
: to put on display
exposer
noun
exposé
2 of 2 noun
ex·po·sé
ˌek-spō-ˈzā
: an exposing of something disgraceful
Medical Definition
expose
transitive verb
ex·pose
ik-ˈspōz
exposed; exposing
1
: to subject to risk from a harmful action or condition
children exposed to measles
2
: to lay open to view: as
a
: to conduct (oneself) as an exhibitionist
b
: to reveal (a bodily part) especially by dissection
Legal Definition
expose
transitive verb
ex·pose
exposed; exposing
1
: to subject to risk from a harmful action or condition: as
a
: to make (one) open to liability or financial loss
b
: to leave (a child) uncared-for and lacking shelter from the elements
2
: to cause to be visible or open to view: as
a
: to offer publicly for sale
all of which I shall expose for sale at public auction—Detroit Law Journal
Detroit Law Journal
b
: to purposely uncover (one's private body parts) or leave open to view in a place or situation in which such conduct is likely to be deemed offensive or indecent especially as set forth by statute see also indecent exposure
More from Merriam-Webster on expose
Nglish: Translation of expose for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of expose for Arabic Speakers
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