expose

[ ik-spohz ]
See synonyms for: exposeexposedexposing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ex·posed, ex·pos·ing.
  1. to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc.: to expose soldiers to gunfire;to expose one's character to attack.

  2. to lay open to something specified: to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions.

  1. to uncover or bare to the air, cold, etc.: to expose one's head to the rain.

  2. to present to view; exhibit; display: The storekeeper exposed his wares.

  3. to make known, disclose, or reveal (intentions, secrets, etc.).

  4. to reveal or unmask (a crime, fraud, impostor, etc.): to expose a swindler.

  5. to hold up to public reprehension or ridicule (fault, folly, a foolish act or person, etc.).

  6. to desert in an unsheltered or open place; abandon, as a child.

  7. to subject, as to the action of something: to expose a photographic plate to light.

Idioms about expose

  1. expose oneself, to exhibit one's body, especially one's genitals, publicly in an immodest or exhibitionistic manner.

Origin of expose

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English exposen, from Old French exposer, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + poser “to put” (see pose1), replacing Latin expōnere “to put out, expose, set forth in words”; see expound

Other words for expose

Opposites for expose

Other words from expose

  • ex·pos·a·ble, adjective
  • ex·pos·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • ex·pos·er, noun
  • self-ex·pos·ing, adjective
  • un·ex·pos·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with expose

Words Nearby expose

Other definitions for exposé (2 of 2)

exposé
[ ek-spoh-zey ]

noun
  1. a public exposure or revelation, as of something discreditable: Certain cheap magazines make a fortune out of sensational exposés.

Origin of exposé

2
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, noun use of past participle of exposer expose

Words that may be confused with exposé

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use expose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for expose (1 of 2)

expose

/ (ɪkˈspəʊz) /


verb(tr)
  1. to display for viewing; exhibit

  2. to bring to public notice; disclose; reveal: to expose the facts

  1. to divulge the identity of; unmask

  2. (foll by to) to make subject or susceptible (to attack, criticism, etc)

  3. to abandon (a child, animal, etc) in the open to die

  4. (foll by to) to introduce (to) or acquaint (with): he was exposed to the classics at an early age

  5. photog to subject (a photographic film or plate) to light, X-rays, or some other type of actinic radiation

  6. RC Church to exhibit (the consecrated Eucharistic Host or a relic) for public veneration

  7. expose oneself to display one's sexual organs in public

Origin of expose

1
C15: from Old French exposer, from Latin expōnere to set out; see exponent

Derived forms of expose

  • exposable, adjective
  • exposal, noun
  • exposer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for exposé (2 of 2)

exposé

/ (ɛksˈpəʊzeɪ) /


noun
  1. the act or an instance of bringing a scandal, crime, etc, to public notice

  2. an article, book, or statement that discloses a scandal, crime, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012