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showboating

verb

present participle of showboat
as in hotdogging
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for showboating
  1. reveling
  2. horsing around
  3. cutting up
  4. showing off
  5. fooling around
  6. acting up
  7. roaring
Verb
  • The video sweeps around a reveling fiefdom, showing everyone from peasants to dukes partying and getting it on.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Right in the middle of cheering, reveling masses was MARTA — a connective system of veins that efficiently moved the happy throngs.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of reveling
Verb
  • Also, don’t get too out of control horsing around with friends in the water.
    — John Natale, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
  • After horsing around, peruse the quilt displays, agriculture exhibits and arts-and-crafts competitions.
    — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of horsing around
Verb
  • One reason being that the videographer kept cutting up [a slab of] meat for the castle owner.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Cut the half into thin wedges by making ½-inch slices lengthwise through the onion, cutting up to, but not through, the root end.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of cutting up
Verb
  • Quarterbacks have been the story at midseason, with teams passing a lot more and quarterbacks showing off their ability to run and pass.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Pasha finds a nice balance of showing off Amber’s athleticism and her flexibility.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of showing off
Verb
  • 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
  • The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of fooling around
Verb
  • But sleep was hard to come by, with her daughter’s asthma acting up and the anxiety of the hearing the following day.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Baye continued acting up until 2023.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
Definition of acting up
Verb
  • The kids are back in school, the weather is turning and elite auto racing is roaring back to Kansas Speedway for this year’s fall races.
    — The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Television news helicopter coverage has become one of the most important elements of any local newscast, with the high-flying helicopters roaring overhead a common fixture of breaking news scenes.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of roaring
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.

Browse Nearby Words

showboated
showboating
showboats
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Cite this Entry

“Showboating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/showboating. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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