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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of show off
Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 14 Feb. 2025
Crystal, who is the principal of Liberty Elementary, immediately taunts Ava, showing off her prime time slot for pleading her case for funding in front of the school board.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 13 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
The pants accompanying the set featured a slit on the sides to show off heels while a zip up overlay can layered over the blazer for an even bolder suited look.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 14 Feb. 2025
Crystal, who is the principal of Liberty Elementary, immediately taunts Ava, showing off her prime time slot for pleading her case for funding in front of the school board.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 13 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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Elsewhere, two boys, Frank and Alain, get up to assorted mischief, sneaking onto a baseball diamond at night or horsing around on railroad tracks, although there are hints that Frank’s family may leave Cuba soon.—
Ben Kenigsberg,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
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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
Verb
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Its Backup Storage area displays the backups and the option to conduct remote restorations.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
25 Feb. 2025
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However, some partners constantly display insecure behavior and are frequently coping with negative emotions.—
Eric Wood,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Ben McLane, first row far right, was part of the hotshot crew that responded to the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif.—
Jacob Soboroff,
NBC News,
18 Feb. 2025
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Gutierrez, a 15-year veteran with the Forest Service on hotshot crews and engines, said thousands of firefighters on probationary status are at risk of termination, as well.—
Jacob Soboroff,
NBC News,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Popular freezer hacks include saving Parmesan rinds to deepen the flavor of soups, cutting up loaves of bread for toast, and even storing homemade jam without all the mess of canning.—
Meghan McCarron,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2025
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By sector, technology suffered the worst, with job cuts up 128 percent on-month to 7,488, followed by automotive (123 percent), services (106 percent), retail (96 percent), and media and news (27 percent).—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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With all precincts reporting, the Will County election results show 59.44% for Steilen and 40.56% for Balich in the supervisor’s race.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
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Research shows that today’s students are graduating from high school undecided and anxious about their futures.—
Jean Eddy,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
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Louie's owner's TikTok account is full of the dog up to mischief, digging in the garden with his owner, watching TV, playing fetch, fooling around in the snow, and undergoing training.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The brand previously exhibited at the fair from 1992 to 2014.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
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The Green Mile, with its three-hours-plus run time, might as well be exhibit A for Hollywood’s myriad overlong, self-important Oscar-bait dramas.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 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
Cite this Entry
“Show off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/show%20off. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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