exposition
noun
ex·po·si·tion
ˌek-spə-ˈzi-shən 
1
: a setting forth of the meaning or purpose (as of a writing)
2
a
: discourse or an example of it designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand
b(1)
: the first part of a musical composition in sonata form in which the thematic material of the movement is presented
(2)
: the opening section of a fugue
3
: a public exhibition or show
Examples of exposition in a Sentence
This is not an easy book, and the reader may find the layers of detail challenging. There are long expositions of the knotty tangles of monarchical lineage, and the necessary chronicle of historical events occasionally consumes the novel's narrative drive.
—
Lucy Lethbridge, Commonweal, 23 Oct. 2009
He is masterly in absorbing information and masterful in organizing it—skeptical of fashion, clear in exposition, fluent in communication, unremittingly scholarly.
—Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, New York Times Book Review, 11 June 2000
Although they were invited to use an early X ray machine on display at the exposition, they turned down the offer, and they never found the bullet.
—T. Burton Smith, American Heritage, September 1992
The subject requires some exposition.
a clear exposition of his ideas
Lucy Lethbridge, Commonweal, 23 Oct. 2009
He is masterly in absorbing information and masterful in organizing it—skeptical of fashion, clear in exposition, fluent in communication, unremittingly scholarly.
—Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, New York Times Book Review, 11 June 2000
Although they were invited to use an early X ray machine on display at the exposition, they turned down the offer, and they never found the bullet.
—T. Burton Smith, American Heritage, September 1992
The subject requires some exposition.
a clear exposition of his ideas
Recent Examples on the Web
Much in the same way Let There Be Carnage introduced its Cletus Kasady with a lore-dense info dump, The Last Dance tries its best to explain the whole deal with the symbiote god Knull (Andy Serkis) through a CGI-heavy chunk of exposition pulled from the comics.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2024
Shakespeare’s plays never shied away from the exposition of uncomfortable or potentially divisive topics such as this.
—Karl Moore, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
At 100 minutes, the show hastily whips through a life’s worth of milestones and minutiae, told mostly through verbose exposition delivered directly to the audience.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
And yet despite these moments of deliberate exposition, Vampyr feels impossible to fully understand.
—James Grebey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for exposition 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2024
Shakespeare’s plays never shied away from the exposition of uncomfortable or potentially divisive topics such as this.
—Karl Moore, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024
At 100 minutes, the show hastily whips through a life’s worth of milestones and minutiae, told mostly through verbose exposition delivered directly to the audience.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
And yet despite these moments of deliberate exposition, Vampyr feels impossible to fully understand.
—James Grebey, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for exposition
Dictionary Entries Near exposition
Cite this Entry
“Exposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exposition. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exposition
noun
ex·po·si·tion
ˌek-spə-ˈzish-ən
1
: an explanation of something
2
: a piece of writing that explains
3
: the first part of a piece of music in which the theme is presented
4
: a public exhibition
expositor
noun
ik-ˈspäz-ət-ər
expository
adjective
ik-ˈspäz-ə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share