1
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
2
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
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
Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
To celebrate the launch, Bieber shared a spicy BTS shot showing off a matching soap manicure.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 11 May 2025
Otherwise, this is a visually stunning chassis that will satisfy patient-building component show-offs.
—PCMAG, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for show off
Verb
Fans are showing off their Bears merchandise online, including the new NFC North champions shirt.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
To celebrate the launch, Bieber shared a spicy BTS shot showing off a matching soap manicure.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
In This Article Take It Easy With Greens Pick a Combo With Staying Power
Rely On Dependable Winners
The Three Rules of Container TLC
These summer show-off container gardens will brighten up any porch or patio all season long—even in the Southern heat.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 11 May 2025
Otherwise, this is a visually stunning chassis that will satisfy patient-building component show-offs.
—PCMAG, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for show off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for show off
Verb
-
In April 2020, Iglesias shared a video of him horsing around with Lucy and Nicholas as the pair attempted to climb on his back for a ride.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
-
At this point in time, my little AI company, a lean and mean group of passionate believers, is horsing around fine-tuning the product, living on a couple of angel investments, where a 10X return on few million dollars is very satisfying, not only to the angel, but also to the employees.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Museum curators were inspired to create the exhibition in an effort to display items that wouldn't otherwise be seen, Sarah Crawford, director of museum experience at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, told ABC News.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Busy moms and young kids alike will love that this under-$20 turntable displays snacks in an easily accessible way, and can be used one-handed.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There's macho panache and white-knuckle action sequences aplenty as Pitt's eccentric Formula 1 veteran plays reluctant mentor to a hotshot rookie (Damson Idris).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
23 Dec. 2025
-
Among the stars of that title-winning side was Wilkes, the hotshot rookie who drew the ridicule of his peers during a summer league camp at San Jose City College in 1974.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
21 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
By the third period, with his nose cut up, Kesselring was on the ice in the final minute of the game, helping to get it to overtime.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2026
-
To meet that goal, the grantmaker will cut up to 500 of its 2,375 staff positions by 2030, including some open roles that may remain unfilled.—
Stephanie Beasley,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Video shows violent incident Police released surveillance video showing two children running toward a duck in the 300 block of Southwest 8th Avenue on Sunday.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Tests show the design consistently doubles material flow.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Broncos Country believes in this team, but the wise guys do not.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 Dec. 2025
-
Your corner defined you — wise guys as well as cops.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
6 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Those have come from two players: Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres, who throws an odd knuckleball-changeup hybrid about 1 percent of the time, and Jonah Bride of the Minnesota Twins, an infielder fooling around with the knuckler in blowouts.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
The company is exhibiting at Eureka Park under the Hyundai Motor Group ZERO1NE Pavilion.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
These are all traits that some autistic people exhibit.—
Sarah Kurchak,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Show off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/show%20off. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
