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
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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
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Recent Examples of show off
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2025
The whole crew takes pride in showing off the ship.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
This was my chance to not be an actor, not have that stink of being an actor, that egotistical, show-off, controlling, making choices, being clever part of being an actor.
—Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for show off
Verb
Boozey also appears in a short film showing off the eye-catching new vehicle for the first time.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2025
The whole crew takes pride in showing off the ship.
—Eve Chen, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
Feast On Local Delights In Fort-de-France, welcoming local food shacks and easy-going eateries reign, offering simple but delicious and affordable eats that show-off the region’s best recipes.
—Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
This was my chance to not be an actor, not have that stink of being an actor, that egotistical, show-off, controlling, making choices, being clever part of being an actor.
—Chris Vognar, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for show off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for show off
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.—
Matias Grez,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Verb
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This video will not be displayed at Westchester County Airport.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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Airports pick a side TSA owns and operates some of the video monitors at airports which have been added to try to expedite the screening process by displaying reminders and sometimes include DHS messages.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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First up was Bevan, who talked about their work on F1, which began with the role of young hotshot Joshua Pearce.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Oct. 2025
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Bateman also said that one member of the Bluth family wouldn't need a Hollywood hotshot to play him in the film.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The boat therefore needed metal or plastic cages installed around the engines, so that the diver wouldn’t get accidentally cut up by their blades — and finding a boat and then the right cages fit onto the boat would take time.—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
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Techniques like this have been around for some time, but Micro-C uses an enzyme that can cut up DNA more finely than before.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Photos taken of the aftermath show the aircraft partially submerged in water near the airport's sea wall.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
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Steven Adler published an analysis showing that ChatGPT repeatedly and falsely reinforced one man’s delusions and psychological distress.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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But sometimes salt is a problem, as evidenced in a strangely entrancing photography exhibit at Berkeley’s David Brower Center.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
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An art review on Friday about two Lu Yang exhibits in New York attributed an erroneous distinction to Lu Yang’s current exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And of course, the sci-fi comedy pic’s architect, Mel Brooks, is back, returning to his roles as Zen Yiddish wise guy Yogurt and President Skroob.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
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The Green Bay Packers made quite a Week 1 impression — at least with the wise guys in Las Vegas.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Show off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/show%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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