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
Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Hollywood’s leading men also showed off some stellar pieces.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 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
McCartney did not go off-mic to show off to this crowd, but his ability to sing material that calls for a fair amount of howling remains a more than impressive enough stunt, at 83.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Hollywood’s leading men also showed off some stellar pieces.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 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
-
Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
-
But Andrew continued to live at the home and was often seen riding his horse around Windsor Great Park and photographed waving to crowds.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And, to honor the occasion, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem), in Marseille, decided to display a guillotine in full view.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
French cheeses displayed in a store in Paris.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The trade floor was awash with ’empty’ books that were part of a protest being run by former Silicon Valley hotshot Ed Newton-Rex, who managed to get 10,000 authors to put their name behind the stunt.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe that’s because the interiors have a certain plainness — one that’s accurate to Georgian classicism but boring to Hollywood hotshots.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Most Popular Notorious murderer Richard Crafts, who used a chain saw to cut up his wife’s body and a wood chipper to dispose of it, is out of prison and living in a halfway house, a state Department of Correction spokeswoman said Friday.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
-
When the singing was done Ma Binney brought me back to her tent and cut up a tomato, put it between two slices of bread, and served it to me on a china plate taken from a wooden chest next to her bed-roll.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Close to three dozen firms have registered to lobby the federal government on issues related to energy and defense since Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran in late February, disclosures show.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The Panthers are comfortable with Hubbard toting the ball, and Etienne — a fourth-round pick last year — has shown some flashes.—
Mike Kaye
March 26,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The wise guys already view Denver suspiciously, casting them with the 12th-best odds to reach the Super Bowl next February.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Framing wise guys on murder charges for Whitey Bulger, looking the other way on a gangland hit by a BPD detective in Canton in 1976, the list of scandals is too great to even list them all.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
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
-
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The project was exhibited at the Alkazi Theatre Archives in 2022 and later presented at the National Portrait Gallery in 2024.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
30 Mar. 2026
-
While classical mechanics treats normal modes as wave-like phenomena, phonons also exhibit particle-like properties, earning them the moniker of quasiparticles.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Show off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/show%20off. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
