show

See also: Show

English

Alternative forms

• shew (archaic)
• shewe, showe (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ʃəʊ/
• (General American) enPR: shō, IPA^(key): /ʃoʊ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): [ʃoː], [ʃow]
• (South Asia) IPA^(key): /ʃo(w)/, (without the toe–tow merger) /ʃɔw/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ʃəʊ/
  • (Dublin) IPA^(key): /ʃʌo̞/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (London):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-der.

Proto-Germanic *skawwōną

Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn

Old English scēawian

Middle English schewen

English show

From Middle English schewen, from Old English scēawian (“to look, look at, exhibit, display”), from Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn, from Proto-Germanic *skawwōną (“to look, see”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (“to heed, look, feel, take note of”); see haw, gaum, caveat, caution.

Cognate with Scots shaw (“to show”), Dutch schouwen (“to inspect, view”), German schauen (“to see, behold”), Danish skue (“to behold”). Related to sheen.

Wider cognates include Ancient Greek κῦδος (kûdos), Latin caveō whence English caution and caveat, Sanskrit कवि (kaví, “seer, prophet, bard”), Proto-Slavic *čuti (whence Russian чу́ять (čújatʹ) and many more).

Verb

show (third-person singular simple present shows, present participle showing, simple past showed or (archaic) shew, past participle shown or (US or rare) showed)

1. (transitive) To display, convey or exhibit; to have something available for others to see; to direct attention to something.

   The king showed great wisdom in his decisions.

   The actor showed Macbeth's confidence in this scene.

   The car's dull finish showed years of neglect.

   All he had to show for four years of attendance at college was a framed piece of paper.

   I do some sculpturing, but I don't like to show anybody.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. Thus outraged, she showed herself to be a bold as well as a furious virago. Next day she found her way to their lodgings and tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head.

   1. (transitive) To indicate; to convey facts that lead to a conclusion.

      The record shows that you have been late twelve times this year.

      Our schedule is showing appointments all day.

   2. (transitive) To guide or escort; to show the way.

      Could you please show him on his way. He has overstayed his welcome.

      Who can show me to the office? I'll show you in.

      If you get aggressive, the bouncer will show you to the door.

   3. (transitive) To bestow; to confer.

      to show mercy; to show favour

      (dialectal) show me the salt please

   4. (transitive) To put on a movie, TV show, etc; to be presented in this way.

      The cinema on Ninth Avenue is showing a couple family movies.

      They showed episodes of some awful TV show on our flight.

      The new Brad Pitt movie is showing at eight o'clock tonight.

   5. (transitive) To display artwork in a gallery or museum.

      John is showing his work tonight.

      The Smithsonian shows most of that artist's work.

   6. (transitive) To display on offer.

      The store on Eighth Street is showing the new spring collection in the window.

   7. (transitive, card games) To give hints to the apparent or purported nature of one's hand of cards.

      There's a bunch of ways to show a bad hand.

   8. (intransitive, card games) To reveal one's hand of cards.

      He just wanted to finish this hand, so he showed as soon as he could.

      • 2017, Nathan Schwiethale, Ace High: Mastering Low Stakes Poker Cash Games, page 70:

        He called instantly but was too ashamed to show until the river.

   9. (intransitive or transitive) To participate in a dog show, cat show, etc.; to compete with an animal at such a show; to be entered and displayed at such a show.

      That's why we don't show in Philadelphia anymore.

      She's showing her poodle at the dog show.

      Nibbles is showing at the California Cat Show.

2. (transitive) To prove (a fact) to be true; to demonstrate; to instruct.

   We showed that the hypothesis is correct.

   She is showing how to complete the task.

   He doesn't just tell you how to do it, he shows you.

   • 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 162:

     He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. With this biological framework in place, Corning endeavors to show that the capitalist system as currently practiced in the United States and elsewhere is manifestly unfair.

   • 2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns

     A report this year in the Journal of Geophysical Research showed that the glacier has lost 60 percent of its mass.

   1. (reflexive or transitive) To reveal one's condition or nature.

      She showed herself to be a jerk.

      That shows what kind of person he is.

   2. (transitive, usually emphasized, sometimes with the placeholder pronoun it) To demonstrate to another that they are wrong; to vindicate to someone; to prove something to those who doubt it; to suffice as revenge against someone.

      She doesn't think I can win, so if I do, that'll show her.

      I'll prove your innocence to show it to your accusers.

      This experiment will show that my theory is right.

      If he attacked you, I'll kick his ass. Getting beat up will show him.

3. (intransitive) To be or become visible or apparent; to be seen or demonstrated; to appear or be made to appear.

   That wine stain shows on your shirt. You should wear a jacket to cover it up, so it doesn't show.

   Your bald patch is starting to show.

   His experience showed, because he knew exactly what to do when the emergency happened.

   Her hatred showed on her face.

   Staining wood will make minor scratches show on the surface.

   • 1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     Just such she shows before a rising storm.

   • 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Day-Dream. The Sleeping Palace.”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 151:

     All round a hedge upshoots, and shows / At distance like a little wood.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.

   • 1989 May, Jeff MacInnis, “Braving the Northwest Passage”, in National Geographic, volume 175, number 5, page 600:

     The strain of the long voyage shows in our faces, but there is no disguising our joy.

   1. (intransitive, informal) To put in an appearance; show up.

      Nobody even showed at our party.

      We waited for an hour, but they never showed, so we had to take the bus home.

   2. (intransitive) To finish third in a race, especially in horse or dog racing.

      In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.

   3. (intransitive) To come into view on a screen; to become visible on a screen.

      An error message will show on your monitor.

      A color fluctuation will show on your computer screen.

   4. (intransitive, informal) To have an enlarged belly and thus be recognizable as pregnant.

      She's not showing yet, so I didn't realize she was pregnant.

      • 2011, Bill Condon, director, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1:

        Jessica: "So, um, do you think Bella's gonna be showing?"
        Angela: "Jess, she's not pregnant."
        Jessica: "Okay. Who else gets married at eighteen?"

      • 2012, Carley Roney, The Baby Bump: 100s of Secrets to Surviving Those 9 Long Months, Chronicle Books, page 60:

        "My friend is due 2 weeks after me and she has this cute bump. I’m barely showing! Could something be wrong?

   5. (intransitive, copulative, archaic) To appear (a certain way).

      He showed tired after a long day's toil.

      • 1891, Maxwell Grey, In The Heart Of The Storm, volume 1:

        […] until the grey wintry dawn paled them, and the chill earth showed ghostly and desolate in the cold light.

      • 1905, R. Johnson Held, S. J. Kopetzky, “Report of a Case of Purulent Meningitis Following Radical Mastoid Operation—Recovery after Operative Interference”, in Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital Reports, number 6:

        The exposed dura showed healthy and was left undisturbed.

      • 1907, Harold Blindloss, The Dust of Conflict:

        He blinked with his eyes, and the damp dripped from his face, which showed haggard and drawn; but Appleby, who wondered if his own wore that look, surmised that this was not due to cowardice, and understood why the man breathed in gasps.

   6. (intransitive, obsolete) To appear or suit; to reflect well or poorly on someone; to be fitting.
      • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

        My lord of York, it better showed with you.

Usage notes

• The past participle shown was uncommon before the 19th century, but is now the preferred form in standard English. In the UK, showed is regarded as archaic or dialectal. In the US, it is considered a standard variant form, but shown is more common. Garner's Modern American Usage favors shown over showed as past participle and claims it is mandatory for passives.
• In the past, shew was used as a past-tense form and shewed as a past participle of this verb; both forms are now archaic.

Conjugation

Conjugation of show

infinitive	(to) show
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	show	showed
2nd-person singular	show, showest†	showed, showedst†
3rd-person singular	shows, showeth†	showed
plural	show
subjunctive	show	showed
imperative	show	—
participles	showing	shown

^† Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

• (display): display, exhibit, flaunt, indicate, parade, point out, reveal, rub one's nose in, show off, visiblize
• (indicate a fact to be true): demonstrate, prove
• (put in an appearance): arrive, show up

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “display”): conceal, cover up, hide
• (antonym(s) of “indicate a fact to be true”): disprove, refute

Derived terms

• foreshow
• forthshow
• go to show
• have something to show for something
• outshow
• overshow
• preshow
• reshow
• showability
• showable
• show a clean pair of heels
• show a leg
• show a little ginger
• show and share
• show and tell
• show ankle
• show around
• show away
• show colour
• show don't tell
• show down
• showee
• shower
• show-er
• show forth
• show half ball
• show in
• show off
• show one's age
• show one's ass
• show one's butt
• show one's cards
• show one's claws
• show oneself
• show one's face
• show one's hand
• show one's stripes
• show one's stuff
• show one's teeth
• show one's true colors
• show one's true colours
• show one's true stripes
• show one's work
• show out
• show round
• show shapes
• show skin
• show somebody the door
• show someone a good time
• show someone a thing or two
• show someone one's etchings
• show someone the door
• show someone the ropes
• show some skin
• show the cloven foot
• show the cloven hoof
• show the flag
• show the ropes
• show the way
• show the white feather
• show the white flag
• show-through
• show up
• show what one is made of
• show who's boss
• show who's the boss

Translations

to display

• Afrikaans: please add this translation if you can
• Albanian: tregoj (sq)
• Arabic: عَرَضَ (ar) (ʕaraḍa), قَدَّمَ (ar) (qaddama), ظَهَرَ (ar) (ẓahara), أَرَى (ar) (ʔarā)

  Egyptian Arabic: ورى (warra)

  Hijazi Arabic: ورّى (warra), عرض (ʕaraḍ)

  Moroccan Arabic: ورى (warra), قدم (qaddam)

  North Levantine Arabic: فرجى (farja), ورجى (warja)

  South Levantine Arabic: فرجى (farja), ورجى (warja), ورّى (warra), عرض (ʕaraḍ)

• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܡܲܚܙܹܐ (maḥzē), ܡܲܚܘܹܐ (maḥwē), ܡܲܪܗܹܐ (marhē)

• Armenian: ցույց տալ (hy) (cʻuycʻ tal)
• Azerbaijani: göstərmək (az)
• Belarusian: пака́зваць impf (pakázvacʹ), паказа́ць (be) pf (pakazácʹ)
• Bengali: দেখানো (bn) (dekhanō)
• Breton: diskouez (br)
• Bulgarian: пока́звам (bg) impf (pokázvam), пока́жа (bg) pf (pokáža)
• Burmese: ပြသ (my) (pra.sa.), ပြ (my) (pra.)
• Catalan: mostrar (ca), ensenyar (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎠᎪᏩᏛᏗᎭ (agowadvdiha)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 展示 (zin² si⁶)

  Mandarin: 展示 (zh) (zhǎnshì), 表示 (zh) (biǎoshì), 顯示 / 显示 (zh) (xiǎnshì), 讓……看看 / 让……看看 (ràng ... kàn kàn)

• Comorian:

  Maore Comorian: uenyesa

• Czech: ukazovat (cs) impf, ukázat (cs) pf
• Danish: vise (da)
• Dutch: tonen (nl), laten zien (nl), vertonen (nl)
• Elfdalian: lat sją̊
• Esperanto: vidigi, montri (eo)
• Estonian: näitama
• Faroese: vísa, sýna
• Finnish: näyttää (fi); (formally, or in length) esitellä (fi)
• French: montrer (fr)

  Middle French: monstrer

  Old French: mostrer, monstrer

  Old French: mustrer

• Friulian: mostrâ
• Galician: mostrar (gl), amosar (gl)
• Georgian: ჩვენება (čveneba)
• German: zeigen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (augjan), 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌽 (gateihan)
• Greek: εμφανίζω (el) (emfanízo), παρουσιάζω (el) (parousiázo), δείχνω (el) (deíchno)

  Ancient Greek: φαίνω (phaínō), δείκνυμι (deíknumi)

• Greenlandic: ersersippaa
• Gujarati: બતાવું (batāvũ), દેખાડવું (dekhāḍvũ)
• Haitian Creole: montre
• Hebrew: הִצִּיג (he) (hitsíg), הֶרְאָה (her'á)
• Hindi: दिखाना (hi) (dikhānā)
• Hungarian: mutat (hu), megmutat (hu), érzékeltet (hu), jelez (hu), tanúsít (hu), kinyilvánít (hu), kimutat (hu)
• Icelandic: sýna (is)
• Indonesian: tunjuk (id)
• Ingrian: näyttää
• Interlingua: monstrar
• Irish: taispeáin

  Old Irish: do·adbat

• Italian: mostrare (it), fare vedere
• Japanese: 見せる (ja) (miseru), 示す (ja) (shimesu), 表す (ja) (arawasu)
• Javanese: meruhi (jv)
• Kaitag: чибижиха́ра (čibižiꭓára)
• Kannada: ತೋರಿಸು (kn) (tōrisu)
• Kashmiri: ہاوُن (hāvun)
• Kashubian: pòkôzac pf
• Kaurna: mikangkanthi
• Kazakh: көрсету (körsetüw), қарату (qaratuw)
• Khmer: បង្ហាញ (km) (bɑnghaañ), ណែ (km) (nae)
• Kituba: monisa
• Korean: 전시하다 (ko) (jeonsihada), 보이다 (ko) (boida)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: پیشاندان (pîşandan)

• Kyrgyz: көрсөтүү (ky) (körsötüü), көргөзүү (ky) (körgözüü)
• Lao: ສະແດງ (sa dǣng)
• Latgalian: ruodeit
• Latin: ostendo, praestō, offero (la), exhibeo (la), designo, monstro (la), doceo (la)
• Latvian: parādīt, rādīt
• Lingala: monisa, lakisa
• Lithuanian: parodyti (lt), rodyti (lt)
• Low German:

  German Low German: wiesen (nds)

• Luxembourgish: weisen
• Macedonian: покажува impf (pokažuva), покаже pf (pokaže)
• Malay: tunjuk (ms)
• Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
• Māori: tītohu
• Marathi: दाखवणे (dākhavṇe)
• Mauritian Creole: montre
• Middle English: schewen
• Mongolian: үзэсгэлэн (mn) (üzesgelen)
• Naga:

  Khiamniungan Naga: āá

• Norman: montrer
• Norwegian: vise (no)
• Occitan:

  Old Occitan: mostrar

• Old English: ætīewan
• Oromo: agarsiisuu
• Oscan: 𐌃𐌄𐌝𐌊𐌖𐌌 (deíkum)
• Persian: نشان دادن (fa) (nešân dâdan), نمودن (fa) (nemudan)
• Pitjantjatjara: nintini
• Plautdietsch: wiesen (nds)
• Polish: pokazywać (pl) impf, pokazać (pl) pf, wskazywać (pl)
• Portuguese: mostrar (pt), apresentar (pt)
• Quechua: rikuchiy
• Romanian: arăta (ro)
• Romansh: mussar
• Russian: пока́зывать (ru) impf (pokázyvatʹ), показа́ть (ru) pf (pokazátʹ)
• Sami:

  Northern Sami: čájẹhit, vuosẹhit

• Sanskrit: दिशति (sa) (diśati)
• Scots: shaw
• Scottish Gaelic: seall
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: показати pf

  Latin: pokazati (sh) pf

• Slovak: ukazovať impf, ukázať pf
• Slovene: kazati impf, pokazati pf
• Sorbian:

  Upper Sorbian: pokazować (hsb) impf, pokazać pf

• Southern Altai: кӧргӱзер (körgüzer)
• Spanish: mostrar (es), enseñar (es)
• Swahili: -onyesha (sw)
• Swedish: visa (sv)
• Tagalog: magpakita, ipakita
• Tajik: нишон додан (nišon dodan)
• Tamil: காட்டு (ta) (kāṭṭu), காண்பி (ta) (kāṇpi)
• Telugu: చూపించు (te) (cūpiñcu)
• Thai: แสดง (th) (sà-dɛɛng), ชี้แจง (th) (chíi-jɛɛng)
• Turkish: göstermek (tr)
• Turkmen: görkezmek
• Ugaritic: 𐎁𐎙𐎊 (bġy)
• Ukrainian: пока́зувати (uk) impf (pokázuvaty), показа́ти pf (pokazáty)
• Ulithian: kawreloag
• Urdu: دکھانا (dikhānā)
• Uzbek: koʻrsatmoq (uz)
• Vietnamese: chỉ (vi), tỏ ra (vi)
• Walloon: mostrer (wa)
• Welsh: dangos (cy)
• Yakut: көрдөр (kördör)
• Yiddish: ווײַזן (vayzn)
• Zulu: please add this translation if you can

to bestow; confer — see bestow,‎ confer

to indicate (a fact) to be true — see also demonstrate

• Arabic: ثَبَتَ (ṯabata), وَضَحَ (waḍaḥa)
• Armenian: ցույց տալ (hy) (cʻuycʻ tal)
• Breton: diskouez (br)
• Bulgarian: показвам (bg) (pokazvam)
• Catalan: demostrar (ca)
• Czech: ukázat (cs)
• Dutch: aantonen (nl), demonstreren (nl)
• Esperanto: montri (eo), demonstri (eo), demonstracii
• Finnish: näyttää (fi), osoittaa (fi)
• French: démontrer (fr)
• German: zeigen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bandwjan)
• Greek: αποδεικνύω (el) (apodeiknýo)
• Hebrew: הֶרְאָה (her'á)
• Hungarian: kimutat (hu), bizonyít (hu), bebizonyít (hu), tanúskodik (hu)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} sanna
• Irish: léirigh

  Old Irish: do·aisféna

• Italian: dimostrare (it)
• Japanese: 示す (ja) (shimesu)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: پیشاندان (pîşandan)

• Macedonian: покажува impf (pokažuva), покаже pf (pokaže)
• Middle English: schewen
• Norwegian: vise (no)
• Persian: نشان دادن (fa) (nešân dâdan)
• Polish: pokazywać (pl)
• Portuguese: demonstrar (pt)
• Romanian: arăta (ro), demonstra (ro)
• Russian: пока́зывать (ru) impf (pokázyvatʹ), показа́ть (ru) pf (pokazátʹ)
• Scots: shaw
• Swedish: visa (sv), demonstrera (sv)
• Tamil: காட்டு (ta) (kāṭṭu), காண்பி (ta) (kāṇpi)
• Thai: แสดง (th) (sà-dɛɛng)
• Vietnamese: cho thấy
• Walloon: mostrer (wa), dimostrer (wa) (formally)

to guide or escort

• Dutch: brengen
• Esperanto: ĉiĉeroni, gvidi
• Finnish: opastaa (fi), saattaa (fi)
• German: führen
• Hungarian: kísér (hu), elkísér (hu), vezet (hu)
• Italian: portare (it), condurre (it), guidare (it)
• Lushootseed: ʔugʷus
• Middle English: schewen
• Tamil: வழிகாட்டு (ta) (vaḻikāṭṭu)

to be visible

• Arabic: ارْتَسَمَ
• Breton: dont war-wel (br)
• Bulgarian: виждам се (viždam se)
• Dutch: te zien zijn
• Esperanto: vidiĝi, aperi (eo), montriĝi (eo), videbli
• Finnish: näkyä (fi); näyttäytyä (fi) (shortly), pilkistää (fi)
• French: se voir (fr)
• German: sich zeigen
• Greek: φαίνομαι (el) (faínomai)

  Ancient Greek: φαίνω (phaínō)

• Hungarian: látszik (hu), látható (hu), meglátszik (hu), mutatkozik (hu), megmutatkozik (hu)
• Japanese: 現れる (ja) (arawareru), 見える (ja) (mieru)
• Middle English: schewen
• Russian: пока́зываться (ru) impf (pokázyvatʹsja), показа́ться (ru) pf (pokazátʹsja)
• Swedish: synas (sv), märkas (sv)
• Tamil: தெரி (teri)
• Walloon: si vey (wa), ès vir

show up — see show up

to have a big belly, as pregnant

• Esperanto: aperi graveda (eo)
• Finnish: näkyä (fi)
• Walloon: esse grosse

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} diskouez (br)
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} montrar (io), (indicate) ^{(please verify)} indikar (io)
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} menunjukkan (id) , ^{(please verify)} mempertunjukkan (id) , ^{(please verify)} menampilkan (id) , ^{(please verify)} memperlihatkan (id)

See also

• showcase
• showdown

Etymology 2

From Middle English schewe, from the verb (schewen).

Noun

show (countable and uncountable, plural shows)

1. (countable) A play, dance, or other entertainment.

   There were a thousand people at the show.

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter IV, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     Then he commenced to talk, really talk. and inside of two flaps of a herring's fin he had me mesmerized, like Eben Holt's boy at the town hall show. He talked about the ills of humanity, and the glories of health and Nature and service and land knows what all.

3. (countable) An exhibition of items.

   art show;  dog show

   • 2026 May, Julie Belcove, “Farm Fresh”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 93:

     Represented by Olney Gleason gallery, she was the subject of a 2025 solo show at the MSU Broad Art Museum in Michigan and recently unveiled a permanent installation at the Princeton University Art Museum.

4. (countable) A broadcast program, especially a light entertainment program.

   radio show;  television show

   They performed in the show.

   I spotted my neighbour on the morning TV show.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Every day I do my morning show.

5. (countable) A movie.

   Let's catch a show.

6. (Australia, New Zealand, countable) An agricultural exhibition.

   I'm taking the kids to the show on Tuesday.

   • 1924 October 6, The Examiner, Launceston, page 2, column 6:

     E. C. McEnulty, who won the chop at the show on Thursday, cut through a foot lying block in 34 seconds

7. A project or presentation.

   Let's get on with the show.

   Let's get this show on the road.

   They went on an international road show to sell the shares to investors.

   It was Apple's usual dog and pony show.

8. (countable) A demonstration.

   show of force

9. (uncountable) Mere display or pomp with no substance. (Usually seen in the phrases "all show" and "for show".)
   • 1725–1728, [Edward Young], “(please specify the page)”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, →OCLC:

     I envy none their pageantry and show.

   The dog sounds ferocious but it's all show.

10. Outward appearance; wileful or deceptive appearance.
    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

      So may the outward shows be least themselves:
      The world is still deceived with ornament.

11. (baseball, with "the") The major leagues.

    He played AA ball for years, but never made it to the show.

12. (mining, obsolete) A pale blue flame at the top of a candle flame, indicating the presence of firedamp.
13. (archaic) Pretence.
14. (archaic) Sign, token, or indication.
15. (obsolete) Semblance; likeness; appearance.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 20:46-47:

      Beware of the scribes, […] which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers.

    • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

      He through the midst unmarked,
      In show plebeian angel militant
      Of lowest order, passed.

16. (obsolete) Plausibility.
17. (medicine) A discharge, from the vagina, of mucus streaked with blood, occurring a short time before labor.
18. (military, slang) A battle; local conflict. [from 1892]
    • 1918, Denis Garstin, The Shilling Soldiers‎^[1], London: Hodder and Stoughton, page 116:

      A subaltern, wearing a glengarry, came out of a house, playing with the nose of a shell. He walked a little way with me.
      “Going into the show?”

19. A circular impression on sand, indicating the presence of a clam by its siphon.
    • 2014, Karen Gaudette Brewer, Seafood Lover's Pacific Northwest, page 128:

      Iron Springs offers a guided clam dig for first timers or those who are rusty at spotting the clam's show at low tide. It includes a license and all the equipment you'll need to catch your limit on Copalis Beach […]

Synonyms

• (exhibition): exhibition, exposition
• (demonstration): demonstration, illustration, proof
• (broadcast program(me)): program(me)
• (mere display with no substance): façade, front, superficiality
• (baseball): big leagues

Derived terms

• aftershow
• after the Lord Mayor's show
• air show
• all over the show
• all show and no go
• aquashow
• auto show
• bad show
• bench show
• big show
• bloody show
• boat show
• bottle show
• call-in show
• car show
• chat show
• cinema show
• clip show
• clown show
• cooking show
• craft show
• crapshow
• dog-and-pony show
• dog show
• donkey show
• drag show
• dumb show, dumb-show
• farm show
• fashion show
• flicker show
• floor show
• floorshow
• for show
• freak show
• galanty show
• gallantry show
• gallanty show
• game show
• gang show
• get the show on the road
• get this show on the road
• gong show
• good show
• go-show
• gun show
• holy show
• horror show
• horror-show
• horse show
• house show
• ice show
• I'll show you
• intershow
• jig show
• jolly good show
• keep the show on the road
• kid show
• leg show
• legshow
• light show
• magazine show
• magic lantern show
• make a show of oneself
• medicine show
• midshow
• minishow
• minstrel show
• monkey show
• morning show
• motor show
• moving-picture show
• mystery box show
• no-call-no-show
• no show
• no-show
• no show sock
• no-show sock
• no show without Punch
• object show
• on show
• opinion show
• order to show cause
• overshow
• panel show
• passing show
• peep show
• peepshow
• phone-in show
• picture show
• ping pong show
• poor show
• postshow
• preshow
• puppet-show
• puppet show
• put up a show
• puzzle box show
• quilt show
• quiz show
• raree show
• reality show
• roadshow
• run the show
• run the whole show
• shewage
• shit show
• show-and-tell
• showbag
• show bag
• showband
• show barn
• show bench
• show bible
• show bill
• showbill
• show biscuit
• showbiz, show business, showbusiness
• showboard
• showboat
• show box
• showboy
• show bread
• showbread
• showcard
• show cause
• show cave
• show court
• show day
• show dog
• showdom
• showee
• show end
• showfield
• show flat
• showfloor
• showfolk
• showfolks
• showful
• showgirl
• show glass
• show-glass
• show globe
• showgoer
• show-goer
• showground
• showguide
• showhome
• show home
• showhorse
• showhouse
• showie
• showish
• show jumper
• show jumping
• showless
• showlike
• showmance
• show notes
• show-off
• show of force
• show of hands
• show of strength
• show-out
• showperson
• showplace
• showplan
• show pony
• showprint
• showreel
• show ring
• showroom
• show-run
• showrunner
• show song
• show-stealing
• showster
• show stone
• show-stone
• show stopper
• showstopper
• showstopping
• show time
• showtime
• show towel
• show trial
• show tune
• show-up
• show willing
• show window
• showwoman
• showworthy
• showy
• showyard
• side show
• sideshow
• slide show
• slideshow
• slide-show
• smoke show
• smokeshow
• spookshow
• stage show
• steal the show
• step show
• string show
• super-show
• supershow
• tabloid talk show
• talent show
• talk show
• teleshow
• television show, TV show
• the show must go on
• tiger show
• trade show
• Truman Show delusion
• trunk show
• variety show

Descendants

• → Catalan: xou
• → Danish: show
• → Dutch: show
• → Finnish: show
• → French: show
• → German: Show
• → Hindi: शो (śo)
• → Hungarian: show
• → Japanese: ショー (shō)
• → Korean: 쇼 (syo)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: show
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: show
• → Portuguese: show
• → Russian: шоу (šou)
• → Spanish: show
• → Swedish: show
• → Turkish: şov
• → Urdu: شو (śo)

Translations

entertainment — see also spectacle,‎ festival

• Arabic: عَرْض (ar) m (ʕarḍ), اِسْتِعْرَاض m (istiʕrāḍ)
• Armenian: շոու (hy) (šou), ներկայացում (hy) (nerkayacʻum), թատերախաղ (hy) (tʻateraxaġ)
• Azerbaijani: tamaşa (az)
• Belarusian: пака́з m (pakáz), шо́у n (šóu), спекта́кль m (spjektáklʹ), спэкта́кль m (spektáklʹ), відо́вішча (be) n (vidóvišča)
• Bulgarian: представле́ние (bg) n (predstavlénie), шо́у (bg) n (šóu), спекта́къл (bg) m (spektákăl), зре́лище (bg) n (zrélište)
• Burmese: ရှိုး (my) (hrui:)
• Catalan: espectacle (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 騷 / 骚 (sou¹)

  Mandarin: 表演 (zh) (biǎoyǎn), 演出 (zh) (yǎnchū), 秀 (zh) (xiù)

• Czech: podívaná (cs) f, šou (cs) f or n
• Danish: show c
• Dutch: show (nl), voorstelling (nl)
• Esperanto: spektaklo (eo), spektaĵo
• Finnish: show (fi), näytelmä (fi), esitys (fi)
• French: spectacle (fr) m, festival (fr) m
• Georgian: სპექტაკლი (sṗekṭaḳli), წარმოდგენა (c̣armodgena)
• German: Show (de) f, Schau (de) f
• Greek: θέαμα (el) n (théama), σόου (el) n (sóou)

  Ancient Greek: θέα f (théa)

• Hebrew: הוֹפָעָה f (hofa'á), הַצָּגָה (he) f (hatsagá)
• Hindi: शो m (śo), तमाशा (hi) m (tamāśā)
• Hungarian: előadás (hu), műsor (hu), show (hu)
• Indonesian: pertunjukan (id)
• Irish: seó m
• Italian: spettacolo (it) m
• Japanese: 公演 (ja) (こうえん, kōen), 興行 (ja) (こうぎょう, kōgyō), ショー (ja) (shō)
• Kazakh: көрініс (körinis), қойылым (qoyılım), шоу (šow)
• Khmer: ល្ខោន (km) (lkhaon)
• Korean: 쇼 (ko) (syo), 흥행(興行) (ko) (heunghaeng)
• Kyrgyz: спектакль (spektakl), көрүнүш (ky) (körünüş), шоу (şou)
• Lao: ລະຄອນ (la khǭn)
• Latin: spectaculum (la) n
• Macedonian: претстава f (pretstava), емисија f (emisija) (TV), шоу n (šou)
• Malay: pertunjukan (ms), persembahan
• Maltese: spettaklu m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: show (no) n

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: نَمایِش (namâyeš), تَماشا (tamâšâ)

• Polish: pokaz (pl) m, wystawa (pl) f
• Portuguese: show (pt) m, espetáculo (pt) m
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi: ਤਮਾਸ਼ਾ m (tamāśā)

• Romanian: spectacol (ro) n
• Russian: представле́ние (ru) n (predstavlénije), шо́у (ru) n (šóu), спекта́кль (ru) m (spektáklʹ), зре́лище (ru) n (zrélišče)
• Scots: shaw
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шо̏у m, прѐдстава f

  Latin: šȍu (sh) m, prèdstava (sh) f

• Slovak: predstavenie n, šou f
• Slovene: predstava (sl) f, oddaja f, šov m
• Spanish: show (es) m
• Swahili: shoo (sw)
• Swedish: show (sv) c
• Tagalog: pagtatanghal (tl), palabas
• Tajik: намоиш (namoyiš), тамошо (tg) (tamošo)
• Tamil: நிகழ்ச்சி (ta) (nikaḻcci)
• Thai: ละคร (th) (lá-kɔɔn), โชว์ (th) (choo)
• Turkish: gösteri (tr), şov (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: اویون (oyun)

• Ukrainian: виста́ва f (vystáva), спекта́кль m (spektáklʹ), шо́у n (šóu), видо́вище n (vydóvyšče)
• Urdu: شو m (śo), تَماشا m (tamāśā), تَماشَہ m (tamāśa)
• Uyghur: تاماشا (tamasha), كۆرۈنۈش (körünüsh)
• Uzbek: tomosha (uz), spektakl (uz), koʻrinish (uz), shou (uz)
• Vietnamese: biểu diễn (vi), trình diễn (vi)
• Welsh: sioe (cy)

exhibition — see also exhibition,‎ exposition

• Arabic: مَعْرِض m (maʕriḍ)
• Bulgarian: и́зложба (bg) f (ízložba)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 展覽會 / 展览会 (zh) (zhǎnlǎnhuì)

• Czech: přehlídka (cs) f, výstava (cs) f
• Dutch: tentoonstelling (nl), expositie (nl)
• Esperanto: ekspozicio (eo), eksponaĵo
• Finnish: näyttely (fi), esittely (fi)
• French: exposition (fr) f
• Greek: έκθεση (el) f (ékthesi)
• Hebrew: מוֹפָע (he) m (mofá)
• Hungarian: kiállítás (hu), bemutató (hu)
• Italian: mostra (it) f, esibizione (it) f
• Japanese: 展示会 (ja) (てんじかい, tenjikai)
• Kazakh: көрме (körme)
• Korean: 전시회(展示會) (ko) (jeonsihoe)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: پیشانگا (pîşanga)

• Latin: ostentus m
• Macedonian: изложба f (izložba)
• Malay: pertunjukan, pameran (ms), penontonan (ms)
• Maltese: wirja, essibizjoni
• Polish: show (pl) m
• Portuguese: mostra (pt) f, exposição (pt) f
• Romanian: expoziție (ro) f
• Russian: вы́ставка (ru) f (výstavka)
• Scots: shaw
• Scottish Gaelic: taisbeanadh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ѝзложба f

  Latin: ìzložba f

• Swahili: maonyesho (sw)
• Swedish: uppvisning (sv) c (living objects), utställning (sv) c (non-living objects)
• Tamil: கண்காட்சி (ta) (kaṇkāṭci), பொருட்காட்சி (poruṭkāṭci)
• Telugu: ప్రదర్శనం (te) (pradarśanaṁ)
• Turkish: şov (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: نمایش (nümayiş)

• Ukrainian: ви́ставка (uk) f (výstavka), експози́ція f (ekspozýcija)
• Vietnamese: triển lãm (vi)
• Welsh: arddangosfa (cy), sioe (cy)

demonstration — see also demonstration

• Arabic: إِظْهَار m (ʔiẓhār), عَرْض (ar) m (ʕarḍ)
• Bulgarian: пока́зване (bg) n (pokázvane), демонстра́ция (bg) f (demonstrácija)
• Czech: ukázka (cs) f, předvedení n
• Esperanto: montro
• Finnish: näytös (fi), demonstraatio
• French: démonstration (fr) f
• German: Demonstration (de) f, Schau (de) f
• Greek: επίδειξη (el) f (epídeixi)
• Hungarian: demonstráció (hu), fitogtatás (hu)
• Japanese: 誇示 (ja) (こじ, koji)
• Latin: ostentus m
• Portuguese: demonstração (pt) f
• Romanian: demonstrație (ro) f
• Russian: демонстра́ция (ru) f (demonstrácija), пока́з (ru) m (pokáz)
• Scots: shaw
• Scottish Gaelic: taisbeanadh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: демонстра́ција f

  Latin: demonstrácija (sh) f

• Swahili: maonyesho (sw)
• Swedish: demonstration (sv)
• Telugu: ప్రదర్శనం (te) (pradarśanaṁ)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: نمایش (nümayiş)

broadcast program(me) — see also program

• Arabic: بَرْنَامَج (ar) m (barnāmaj)
• Catalan: programa (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 節目 / 节目 (zh) (jiémù)

• Czech: pořad (cs) m
• Esperanto: programo (eo)
• Finnish: ohjelma (fi)
• French: émission (fr) f
• German: Sendung (de) f, Programm (de) n
• Greek: εκπομπή (el) f (ekpompí)
• Hebrew: תָּכְנִית (he) f (tokhnít)
• Hungarian: műsor (hu)
• Indonesian: acara (id), programa (id)
• Irish: seó m, clár m
• Italian: programma (it) m
• Japanese: ショー (ja) (shō), 番組 (ja) (ばんぐみ, bangumi)
• Korean: 쇼 (ko) (syo), 프로그램 (ko) (peurogeuraem)
• Macedonian: емисија f (emisija)
• Malay: rancangan (ms) (Malaysia), cerita (ms) (Malaysia, informal), acara (ms) (Indonesia), program
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: show (no) m, program m

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: شُوْ (fa) (šow)

• Portuguese: programa (pt) m
• Romanian: emisiune (ro) f, program (ro) f
• Russian: програ́мма (ru) f (prográmma), (Television only) телепрогра́мма (ru) f (teleprográmma), шо́у (ru) n (šóu), переда́ча (ru) f (peredáča)
• Scots: shaw
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шо̏у m

  Latin: šȍu (sh) m

• Slovak: šou f
• Swedish: program (sv) n
• Tagalog: palabas, programa
• Tamil: நிகழ்ச்சி (ta) (nikaḻcci)
• Thai: ละคร (th) (lá-kɔɔn)
• Turkish: gösteri (tr), şov (tr), program (tr)
• Vietnamese: chương trình (vi)
• Welsh: rhaglen (cy)

mere display

• Bulgarian: по́казност f (pókaznost)
• Esperanto: ŝajno, masko (eo)
• Finnish: näytös (fi)
• Hungarian: látszat (hu)
• Scottish Gaelic: taisbeanadh m
• Tamil: பகட்டு (ta) (pakaṭṭu)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: طنطنه (tantana), شان (şan)

bloody mucus discharge leading up to labor

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 見紅 / 见红 (jiànhóng)

• Japanese: お印 (おしるし, oshirushi)

See also

• showman
• showpiece
• show-stopper
• show-stopping

Etymology 3

Variant of shove, itself a variant of shive.

Noun

show (plural shows)

1. Synonym of shive (“wood fragment of the husk of flax or hemp”).
   • 1765, “Directions for raising Flax”, in Museum Rusticum et Commerciale: or, Select Papers on Agriculture, Commerce, Arts, and Manufactures. […], volume IV, London: […] R[obert] Davis, […] J[ohn] Newbery, […] and L[ockyer] Davis and C[harles] Reymers, […], page 459:

     When the flax is ſufficiently watered, it feels ſoft to the grip, and the harle parts eaſily with the boon or ſhow, which laſt is then become brittle, and looks whitiſh.

   • 1798, [Christian Friedrich] Germershausen, anonymous translator, “On the Means of promoting the Growth of young Fruit-Trees, particularly in Grass-Land. […] From the Transactions of the Œconomical Society of Leipsic.”, in The Repertory of Arts and Manufactures: […], volume VIII, London: […] [F]or the proprietors; and sold by H[enry] Lowndes, […], page 63:

     Laſt year (1793) I tranſplanted, from ſeed-beds, into the nurſery, ſeveral fruit-trees; the ground around ſome of which I covered, as above, with flax-ſhows. Notwithſtanding the great heat of the ſummer, none of thoſe trees where the earth was covered with ſhows, died or decayed; becauſe the ſhows prevented the earth under them from being dried by the ſun.

   • 1942 March, E[myr] Estyn Evans, Irish Heritage: The Landscape, the People and Their Work, Dundalk, County Louth: W[illiam] Tempest, Dundalgan Press, page 64:

     Old houses in the north-east sometimes have a thick layer of flax waste or “shows” under the thatch.

Anagrams

• Hows, how's, hows, who's, whos

Chinese

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sou¹

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sou¹
    • Yale: sōu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sou¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sou¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sou̯⁵⁵/

Etymology 1

From English show.

Noun

show

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) alternative form of 騷 / 骚 (sou¹, “show”)

Verb

show

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to show; to display
2. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to turn up

   no show [Cantonese]  ―  nou¹ sou¹ [Jyutping]  ―  no-show

Etymology 2

Verb

show

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, eye dialect) alternative form of so (sou¹, “to respond; to pay attention to”)

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɕɔːw/, /ˈɕɔw/

Noun

show n (singular definite showet, plural indefinite shows or show)

1. show (play, dance, or other entertainment)
2. show (exhibition of items)
3. show (broadcast program, especially a light entertainment program)

Declension

Declension of show

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	show	showet	shows show	showene
genitive	shows	showets	shows' shows	showenes

References

• “show” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃoː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: show

Noun

show m (plural shows, diminutive showtje n)

1. a show (entertainment)

Derived terms

• goochelshow
• modeshow
• shitshow
• showbiz
• showen
• showverkeer
• talkshow
• tv-show

Descendants

• →? Sranan Tongo: syow
  • → Caribbean Javanese: so

Finnish

Etymology

From English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃou̯/, [ˈʃo̞u̯]
• IPA^(key): /ˈʃoː/, [ˈʃo̞ː]
• IPA^(key): /ˈsoː/, [ˈs̠o̞ː]
• Rhymes: -ou
• Syllabification^(key): show
• Hyphenation^(key): show

Noun

show

1. show (entertainment)

Usage notes

In plural usually substituted with a synonym, as the word does not easily fit into any Finnish declension category.

Declension

Inflection of show (Kotus type 22/parfait, no gradation)
nominative		show	show’t
genitive		show’n	show’iden show’itten
partitive		show’ta	show’ita
illative		show’hun	show’ihin
		singular	plural
nominative		show	show’t
accusative	nom.	show	show’t
	gen.	show’n
genitive		show’n	show’iden show’itten
partitive		show’ta	show’ita
inessive		show’ssa	show’issa
elative		show’sta	show’ista
illative		show’hun	show’ihin
adessive		show’lla	show’illa
ablative		show’lta	show’ilta
allative		show’lle	show’ille
essive		show’na	show’ina
translative		show’ksi	show’iksi
abessive		show’tta	show’itta
instructive		—	show’in
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of show (Kotus type 22/parfait, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative show’ni show’ni accusative nom. show’ni show’ni gen. show’ni genitive show’ni show’ideni show’itteni partitive show’tani show’itani inessive show’ssani show’issani elative show’stani show’istani illative show’huni show’ihini adessive show’llani show’illani ablative show’ltani show’iltani allative show’lleni show’illeni essive show’nani show’inani translative show’kseni show’ikseni abessive show’ttani show’ittani instructive — — comitative — show’ineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative show’si show’si accusative nom. show’si show’si gen. show’si genitive show’si show’idesi show’ittesi partitive show’tasi show’itasi inessive show’ssasi show’issasi elative show’stasi show’istasi illative show’husi show’ihisi adessive show’llasi show’illasi ablative show’ltasi show’iltasi allative show’llesi show’illesi essive show’nasi show’inasi translative show’ksesi show’iksesi abessive show’ttasi show’ittasi instructive — — comitative — show’inesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative show’mme show’mme accusative nom. show’mme show’mme gen. show’mme genitive show’mme show’idemme show’ittemme partitive show’tamme show’itamme inessive show’ssamme show’issamme elative show’stamme show’istamme illative show’humme show’ihimme adessive show’llamme show’illamme ablative show’ltamme show’iltamme allative show’llemme show’illemme essive show’namme show’inamme translative show’ksemme show’iksemme abessive show’ttamme show’ittamme instructive — — comitative — show’inemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative show’nne show’nne accusative nom. show’nne show’nne gen. show’nne genitive show’nne show’idenne show’ittenne partitive show’tanne show’itanne inessive show’ssanne show’issanne elative show’stanne show’istanne illative show’hunne show’ihinne adessive show’llanne show’illanne ablative show’ltanne show’iltanne allative show’llenne show’illenne essive show’nanne show’inanne translative show’ksenne show’iksenne abessive show’ttanne show’ittanne instructive — — comitative — show’inenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative show’nsa show’nsa accusative nom. show’nsa show’nsa gen. show’nsa genitive show’nsa show’idensa show’ittensa partitive show’taan show’tansa show’itaan show’itansa inessive show’ssaan show’ssansa show’issaan show’issansa elative show’staan show’stansa show’istaan show’istansa illative show’hunsa show’ihinsa adessive show’llaan show’llansa show’illaan show’illansa ablative show’ltaan show’ltansa show’iltaan show’iltansa allative show’lleen show’llensa show’illeen show’illensa essive show’naan show’nansa show’inaan show’inansa translative show’kseen show’ksensa show’ikseen show’iksensa abessive show’ttaan show’ttansa show’ittaan show’ittansa instructive — — comitative — show’ineen show’inensa

Synonyms

• esitys, näytös

Derived terms

compounds

• jääshow
• lavashow
• muotishow
• ravintolashow
• showpaini
• televisioshow
• valoshow

Further reading

• “show”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃo/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: chaud, chauds, chaut, chaux, cheau, cheaux, shows

Noun

show m (plural shows)

1. show (entertainment program)

Further reading

• “show”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Hungarian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English show. 

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʃoː]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: só
• Hyphenation: show
• Rhymes: -ʃoː

Noun

show (plural show-k)

1. show<id:display> (entertainment, programme, production, performance)

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	show	show-k
accusative	show-t	show-kat
dative	show-nak	show-knak
instrumental	show-val	show-kkal
causal-final	show-ért	show-kért
translative	show-vá	show-kká
terminative	show-ig	show-kig
essive-formal	show-ként	show-kként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	show-ban	show-kban
superessive	show-n	show-kon
adessive	show-nál	show-knál
illative	show-ba	show-kba
sublative	show-ra	show-kra
allative	show-hoz	show-khoz
elative	show-ból	show-kból
delative	show-ról	show-król
ablative	show-tól	show-któl
non-attributive possessive – singular	show-é	show-ké
non-attributive possessive – plural	show-éi	show-kéi

Possessive forms of show

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	show-m	show-im
2nd person sing.	show-d	show-id
3rd person sing.	show-ja	show-i
1st person plural	show-nk	show-ink
2nd person plural	show-tok	show-itok
3rd person plural	show-juk	show-ik

Derived terms

Compound words

• show-műsor
• show-tánc
• valóságshow

Related terms

• talk show

Middle English

Pronoun

show

1. (Lincolnshire) alternative form of sche

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɔʋ/, /ʃɔʊ/
• Rhymes: -ɔʋ, -ɔʊ

Noun

show n (definite singular showet, indefinite plural show, definite plural showa or showene)

1. a show<id:display> (play, concert, entertainment)

Derived terms

• moteshow
• sceneshow

References

• “show” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʂɔʋ/, /ʂɔu/
• Rhymes: -ɔʋ, -ɔu

Noun

show n (definite singular showet, indefinite plural show, definite plural showa)

1. a show<id:display> (play, concert, entertainment)

Derived terms

• moteshow
• sceneshow

References

• “show” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Alternative forms

• szoł

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-der.

Proto-Germanic *skawwōną

Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn

Old English scēawian

Middle English schewen

Middle English schewe

English showubor.

Polish show

Unadapted borrowing from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʂɔw/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔw
• Syllabification: show

Noun

show m inan or n (indeclinable)

1. show (large, impressive artistic and entertainment show of revue character with the participation of singers, dancers, circus performers, usually conducted by an anchorman)

   Synonym: widowisko

   Hypernym: przedstawienie

2. show (impressive artistic performance or demonstration of some unusual skill)

   Synonym: pokaz

3. show (event or series of events in social, political, or cultural life taking on the character of a spectacle eagerly watched by all)

   Synonym: przedstawienie

Further reading

• “show”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[3] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “show”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[4] (in Polish)
• show in PWN's encyclopedia

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• chou, xou (rare)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-der.

Proto-Germanic *skawwōną

Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn

Old English scēawian

Middle English schewen

Middle English schewe

English showubor.

Portuguese show

Unadapted borrowing from English show.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃow/ [ˈʃoʊ̯]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃow/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ow

Noun

show m (plural shows)

1. show (an entertainment performance event)

   Synonyms: espetáculo, apresentação

   1. (especially) concert (musical presentation)
2. (Brazil, colloquial) an act or performance that demonstrates high skill; spectacle; display; feat

   Synonym: espetáculo

   Aquela aula foi um show.

   That class was amazing.

3. (colloquial, often used in dar um show) the action of crying or yelling out loud in order to protest or complain about something, often in the context of a discussion or argument; making a scene

   Synonym: fazer uma cena

Derived terms

• dar um show
• show de aberrações
• show de bola
• show de horrores
• show-missa
• showmício
• showzaço
• showzão
• showzinho

Adjective

show (invariable)

1. (Brazil, slang) amazing; awesome

   Synonyms: espetacular, excelente, maravilhoso

Further reading

• “show”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “show”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “show”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “show”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-der.

Proto-Germanic *skawwōną

Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn

Old English scēawian

Middle English schewen

Middle English schewe

English showbor.

Romanian show

Borrowed from English show.

Noun

show n (plural show-uri)

1. show

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	show	showul	show-uri	show-urile
genitive-dative	show	showului	show-uri	show-urilor
vocative	showule		show-urilor

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁-der.

Proto-Germanic *skawwōną

Proto-West Germanic *skauwōn

Old English scēawian

Middle English schewen

Middle English schewe

English showubor.

Spanish show

Unadapted borrowing from English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃow/ [ˈʃow], /ˈʃou/ [ˈʃou̯]
  • Rhymes: -ow, -ou
  • Syllabification: show
• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃou/ [ˈt͡ʃou̯]
  • Rhymes: -ou
• IPA^(key): /ˈsou/ [ˈsou̯]
  • Rhymes: -ou

Noun

show m (plural shows)

1. show, spectacle

   Synonym: espectáculo

2. (informal) a scene, i.e. an exhibition of passionate or strong feeling before others, creating embarrassment or disruption

   Synonym: escena

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Derived terms

• montar un show

Further reading

• “show”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

From English show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɧɔ͡ʊ/, [ɧɔ͡ʊ], [ʂɔ͡ʊ]
• IPA^(key): /ɧɔv/, [ɧɔvː], [ʂɔvː]
• IPA^(key): /ɧoː/ (dated)

Noun

show c

1. show; a play, dance, or other entertainment.

Declension

Declension of show

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	show	shows
	definite	showen	showens
plural	indefinite	shower	showers
	definite	showerna	showernas

References

• “show”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “show”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “show”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)