SHOW OFF Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

show off 1 of 2

verb

Definition of show off

as in to horse around

to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior the athletes warmed up, happily showing off for the crowd before the match officially started

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to display

to present so as to invite notice or attention she just wants to show off her new jewelry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

show-off

2 of 2

noun

as in hotshot

informal + disapproving a person who tries to impress other people with his or her abilities or possessions

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of show off

Verb

While doing press for her film, The Odyssey, in New York City, the actress wore a bright red jumpsuit with a drop-waist peplum that showed off her baby bump. — Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026 In the hours before, other A-listers took to social media, seemingly to show off their outfits for the event. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026

Noun

But there’s value to the subtle, occasional mention of an appropriate insider name, a gesture that’s more like a secret handshake than the work of an oafish show-off. — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 25 Nov. 2025 Luxury can sometimes be interpreted as someone, who is a show-off. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for show off

Recent Examples of Synonyms for show off

Verb

Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.

— Stephen Whyno, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.

— Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026

Definition of horse around

Verb

Yet the hotel seems to want to be part of the larger Miami Beach community, whether luring locals to stop by for a drink, artists in the area to get their work displayed here, or musicians who just want to chill.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Using that engine, the Neo Geo code then makes a kind of proto frame buffer out of the console’s fix layer, an area of display memory that’s usually used to display menus and HUD information on top of gameplay.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

Definition of display

Noun

Adapted from Elle Kennedy’s novels of the same name and following a group of friends at the fictional Briar University, Season 1 is about Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), a young hockey hotshot and Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), a bubbly music major.

— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 22 June 2026
Gao and his three cofounders aren’t your conventional AI hotshots with credentials from leading AI labs or Stanford University.

— Ben Weiss, Fortune, 1 June 2026

Definition of hotshot

Verb

Unusual colorways and short production runs contribute to rarity, and uncut original lengths are prized, since most bolts have been cut up and used.

— Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026
Everything is cut up and put together through chance operations into what Cage called a Musicircus.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of cut up

Verb

Certain tags have been more likely to get a post deleted or banned on Rednote, screenshots and searches show.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Videos and photos circulating on social media showed steel columns on the building’s higher floors buckling and contorting on Tuesday.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 July 2026

Definition of show

Noun

Developed by Robbins specifically for Pompeo, Chicks follows Chickie (Pompeo) and Doreen, two estranged half-sisters who are both struggling to get by when their wise guy dad unexpectedly kicks the bucket.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 June 2026
Here’s a look at what each team in the NFC North has done in free agency, and how the wise guys in Las Vegas currently rank the division.

— Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2026

Definition of wise guy

Verb

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.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.

— Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

Definition of fool around

Verb

Since the garden exhibited its first corpse flower in 1999, thousands of people flock to its conservatory every summer, just to smell these putrid plants.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Listeners are incredibly loyal to audio podcasts, exhibiting deep, consistent engagement that is rare in digital media.

— Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of exhibit

Browse Nearby Words

shown up (for)

show off

show-off

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Style

“Show off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/show%20off. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of show off

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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