1
as in cut up
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 displayed
to present so as to invite notice or attention
she just wants to show off her new jewelry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 showed off
That’s the fun discovery meteorologist Jennifer McDermed showed off in a post on X last week, amid severe winter weather across much of the country.
—
Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026
This past week, Sophie Turner made headlines after Amazon showed off her look as Lara Croft in its upcoming Tomb Raider series, the result of classic costuming and apparently eight-hour-a-day workouts, according to the actress.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Vance showed off a way with words quite similar to Leavitt’s, and to Trump’s.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
While Hawke, who played Manson family member Linda Kasabian/’Flowerchild’, did not end up barefoot in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, her co-star Margaret Qualley famously showed off her lower extremities in the film.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
When a Wall Street Journal reporter visited Wyoming to interview Cheney in 2015, the former vice president showed off his trailer hitch modeled after the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Dakota Johnson showed off this particular cow-print pair earlier this summer, styling them with wide jeans and a classic trench coat.
—Katharina Fuchs, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2025
After her performance, Karol, who was wearing a red-hot, lacy bodysuit, got her own set of wings and showed off her catwalk.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026
This past week, Sophie Turner made headlines after Amazon showed off her look as Lara Croft in its upcoming Tomb Raider series, the result of classic costuming and apparently eight-hour-a-day workouts, according to the actress.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Vance showed off a way with words quite similar to Leavitt’s, and to Trump’s.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
While Hawke, who played Manson family member Linda Kasabian/’Flowerchild’, did not end up barefoot in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, her co-star Margaret Qualley famously showed off her lower extremities in the film.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
When a Wall Street Journal reporter visited Wyoming to interview Cheney in 2015, the former vice president showed off his trailer hitch modeled after the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Dakota Johnson showed off this particular cow-print pair earlier this summer, styling them with wide jeans and a classic trench coat.
—Katharina Fuchs, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2025
After her performance, Karol, who was wearing a red-hot, lacy bodysuit, got her own set of wings and showed off her catwalk.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for showed off
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
-
That power goes to the rear wheels, though the 70 Trionfo looks so good that it’s probably not intended to be driven with passion but instead displayed.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That message is boldly displayed on the homepage of its website.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In that moment, Kostoulas (introduced for Danny Welbeck in the 88th minute) exhibited the true nature of Brighton’s squad, highlighted recently by The Athletic.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Knecht was playing with a lot of confidence through a brief stretch of this season, exhibited most by him taking charges in consecutive games against the Pelicans and the Spurs.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Cellphone data showed Fuentes was at the crash site, immediately went home and then returned in a different car within 20 minutes, the affidavit said.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Videos of the shooting in Minnesota showed federal agents approaching Good’s SUV stopped in the middle of a neighborhood street.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As a rookie in 2024, Coleman flashed star potential at times, catching 29 passes for 556 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
This stretch has been far from perfect, but Jakucionis has also flashed his intriguing potential as a playmaking guard who also has opened eyes with his hustle, improved three-point shooting and physicality on both ends of the court.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Government admits failures of Army pilots A few legal revelations have been unveiled in the weeks leading up to the board meeting, which could create longer term impact on the Army and other agencies involved.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The plan is expected to be unveiled in March, when the company also publishes its annual financial results.—
William Wilkes Bloomberg,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Showed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/showed%20off. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
