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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of show off
Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Feb. 2025
The 2013 incident embarrassed New Orleans, which wanted to show off how well the city had bounced back by hosting the big game for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Rachel Sonis, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
Every single day, the full sun is, like, in full show-off mode and gets swallowed up by the sea.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for show off 
Verb
In her response, the explorer shows off her knowledge of the Inuit language.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Feb. 2025
The 2013 incident embarrassed New Orleans, which wanted to show off how well the city had bounced back by hosting the big game for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Noun
Brighton Beach can be a relentless show-off that way, your feelings be damned.
—Rachel Sonis, TIME, 18 Oct. 2024
Every single day, the full sun is, like, in full show-off mode and gets swallowed up by the sea.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for show off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for show off
Verb
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In the video, Payne is shown horsing around with a large outdoor crowd and his bandmates, encouraging the fans to quiet their screaming and then raise the volume all the way back up.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
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The unidentified pre-teen was horsing around and throwing snowballs in Connecticut’s capital city with an 11-year-old friend, local ABC affiliate WTNH reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Refund Approved – The IRS approved your refund and is preparing to issue it by a date that will be displayed on-screen.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA TODAY,
1 Feb. 2025
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The photograph of a marble sculpture displayed on a marble wall at the Nationalgalerie was more than a clever conceit.—
Richard Meyer,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Since making his debut with a minor role in 1981's Endless Love, the actor and producer has made billions at the box office playing super spies, jet pilots, pre-crime cops, and hotshot sports agents.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
26 Dec. 2024
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Wildland firefighters in a hotshot crew from near Klamath, Oregon, search the ruins of houses destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan. 10, 2025.—
Laura Doan,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Police then went to English's car to search for additional destructive devices and found a 750-milliliter bottle of Smirnoff vodka as well as a gray sweatshirt that had been cut up.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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How cut up was John Bell and the whole team that day?—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The following histogram shows Ovechkin’s likely goals finish by the season’s end based on 1,000 simulations of the rest of the season.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
The Athletic,
2 Feb. 2025
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However, the High Priestess shows February being full of rest and healing, urging you to slow down and listen to your intuition… because your sixth sense is strong for a reason.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Players were in a dorm room fooling around with a gun.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Nov. 2024
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Oklahoma fooled around with Houston long enough to escape with a narrow 16-12 win.—
Chase Goodbread,
The Tennessean,
18 Sep. 2024
Verb
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The six-location event will have more than 1,000 boats on display along with thousands of marine products from over 1,000 exhibiting brands.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
11 Feb. 2025
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The team withdrew with something that was reportedly injury related, but perhaps was more mental given the new paddle jitters Federico exhibited in the first two days of this event with his new adidas gear.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The wise guys that summarily swooped him up were rewarded with 10 multiple-TD games and a QB8 finish on the year.—
Bill Reinhard,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2025
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Swaggering ex-con Sullivan’s conscience manifests in the form of Father Jerry Connolly (Pat O’Brien), the childhood friend turned cleric who does his best to keep the wise guys in line and set another example for the lovable, mischievous Dead End Kids.—
Mike Barnes,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near show off
Cite this Entry
“Show off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/show%20off. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.
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