show verb /ʃoʊ/ show pronunciation American showed, shown /ʃoʊn/ shown pronunciation Americanor, rarely, showed make clear 1 [transitive] to make something clear; to prove something show (that)… The figures clearly show that her claims are false. The governors popularity is declining rapidly, as the opinion polls show. show someone that… Market research has shown us that people want quality, not just low prices. show something a report showing the companys current situation show someone/something to be/have something His new book shows him to be a first-rate storyteller. show (someone) how, what, etc.… This shows how people are influenced by TV advertisements. let someone see something 2 [transitive] to let someone see something show something You have to show your ticket as you go in. show something to someone If theres a letter from France please show it to me. Have you shown your work to anyone? show someone something Have you shown anyone your work? teach 3 [transitive] to help someone to do something by letting them watch you do it or by explaining it show something to someone She showed the technique to her students. show someone something She showed her students the technique. Can you show me how to do it? point 4 [transitive] show someone something to point to something so that someone can see where or what it is He showed me our location on the map. show someone which, what, etc.… Show me which picture you drew. guide 5 [transitive] to lead or guide someone to a place show someone + adverb/preposition The attendant showed us to our seats. We were shown into the waiting room. show someone something Ill go first and show you the way. quality/behavior/feeling 6 [transitive] to make it clear that you have a particular quality show something to show great courage show yourself + adjective She had shown herself unable to deal with money. show yourself to be/have something He has shown himself to be ready to make compromises. show that… He has shown that he is ready to make compromises. 7 [transitive] to behave in a particular way toward someone show something (for/to someone) They showed no respect for their parents. show someone something They showed their parents no respect. 8 [intransitive, transitive] if a feeling or quality shows, or if you show it, people can see it Fear showed in his eyes. She tried not to let her disappointment show. Shes almost forty now. And it shows (= its obvious). show something Her expression showed her disappointment. James began to show signs of impatience. show how, what, etc.… She tried not to show how disappointed she was. be visible 9 [intransitive, transitive] if something shows, people can see it. If something shows a mark, dirt, etc., the mark can be seen She had a warm woolen hat on that left only her eyes and nose showing. show something Their new white carpeting showed every mark. information 10 [transitive] (not usually used in the progressive tenses) show something to give particular information, or a time or measurement The map shows the principal towns and rivers. The clock showed midnight. The end-of-year statement shows a loss. of picture/photograph 11 [transitive] show something show someone/something (as something) show someone/something doing something to be of someone or something; to represent someone or something She objected to a photo showing her in a bikini. for public to see 12 [intransitive, transitive] to be or make something available for the public to see The movie is now showing in all major cities. show something The movie is being shown now. She plans to show her paintings early next year. prove 13 [transitive, no passive] show someone (something) (informal) to prove that you can do something or are something They think I cant do it, but Ill show them! arrive 14 [intransitive] (informal) to arrive where you have arranged to meet someone or do something I waited an hour but he didnt show. see also show up animal 15 [transitive] show something to enter an animal in a competition IDIOMS fly/show/wave the flag to show your support for your country, an organization, or an idea to encourage or persuade others to do the same go through your paces | show your paces to perform a particular activity in order to show other people what you are capable of doing We watched the horses going through their paces. The British team showed its paces during a training session in the hotel pool. it goes to show used to say that something proves something It just goes to show what you can do when you really try. show someone the door to ask someone to leave, because they are no longer welcome show your face to appear among your friends or in public She stayed at home, afraid to show her face. show your hand/cards (also tip your hand) to make your plans or intentions known show someone/know/learn the ropes (informal) to show someone/know/learn how a particular job should be done show the way to do something first so that other people can follow show someone whos boss to make it clear to someone that you have more power and authority than they have (have) something, nothing, etc. to show for something (to have) something, nothing, etc. as a result of something All those years of hard work, and nothing to show for it! PHRASAL VERBS show someone around (something) to be a guide for someone when they visit a place for the first time to show them what is interesting We were shown around the school by one of the students. Has anyone shown you around yet? show off (informal, disapproving) to try to impress others by talking about your abilities, possessions, etc. Hes just showing off because that girl he likes is here. related noun show-off show someone/something↔off 1 to show people someone or something that you are proud of She wanted to show off her new husband at the party. show how, what, etc.… He likes to show off how well he speaks French. 2 (of clothing) to make someone look attractive, by showing their best features a dress that shows off her figure show through| show through something to be able to be seen behind or under something else The writing on the other side of the page shows through. (figurative)When he spoke, his bitterness showed through. Veins showed through her pale skin. show up (informal) to arrive where you have arranged to meet someone or do something It was getting late when she finally showed up. show up| show something↔up to become visible; to make something become visible a broken bone showed up on the X-ray The harsh light showed up the lines on her face. show someone↔up to make someone feel embarrassed by doing something better than them Dont worry about being shown up by the kids—theyve always used computers. Usage notesThesaurus: take lead escort drive show walk guide usher direct These words all mean to go with someone from one place to another. take to go with someone from one place to another, for example in order to show them something or to show them the way to a place: Ill take you to the party tomorrow. lead to go with or go in front of someone in order to show them the way or to make them go in the right direction: Firefighters led the survivors to safety. escort to go with someone in order to protect or guard them or to show them the way: The president was escorted by twelve bodyguards. drive to take someone somewhere in a car, taxi, etc: My mother drove us to the airport. show to take someone to a particular place, in the right direction, or along the correct route: The attendant showed us to our seats. walk to go somewhere with someone on foot, especially in order to make sure that they get there safely; to take an animal, especially a dog, for a walk or make an animal walk somewhere: He always walked her home. Have you walked the dog yet today? guide to show someone the way to a place, often by going with them; to show someone a place that you know well: She guided us through the busy streets. We were guided around the museums. usher (somewhat formal) to politely take or show someone where you want them to be, especially within a building: She ushered her guests to their seats. direct (somewhat formal) to tell or show someone how to get somewhere or where to go: A young woman directed them to the station. PATTERNS to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide/usher/direct someone to/out of/into something to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide/usher someone around to take/lead/escort/drive/walk someone home to take/lead/escort/guide/usher someone to safety to lead/show the way Usage notesLanguage Bank: illustrate referring to a chart, graph, or table This bar chart illustrates how many journeys people made on public transportation over a three-month period. This table compares bus, train, and taxi use between April and June. The results are shown in the chart below. In this pie chart, the survey results are broken down by age. This pie chart breaks down the survey results by age. As can be seen from these results, younger people use buses more than older people. According to these figures, bus travel accounts for 60% of public transportation use. From the data in the above graph, it is apparent that buses are the most widely used form of public transportation. ⇨ Language Banks at evidence, fall, increase, proportion, surprising
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:42:36 +0000
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