What does "display" mean?
A show or spectacle.
Display
/dɪsˈpleɪ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A show or spectacle.
- Grammar: display is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: exhibit, presentation, show, showing.
- Useful contrasts: hidden, invisible feature, unlisted resource.
- Usage evidence: The author doesn't display much talent in his book.
How to use "display"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "display" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "display" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "display" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "display" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "display" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "exhibit" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "display", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A show or spectacle. countable, uncountable
"The trapeze artist put on an amazing acrobatic display."
- 2 something shown to the public wordnet
- 3 A piece of work to be presented visually. countable, uncountable
"Pupils are expected to produce a wall display about a country of their choice."
- 4 a visual representation of something wordnet
- 5 A device, furniture or marketing-oriented bulk packaging for visual presentation for sales promotion. countable, uncountable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 an electronic device that represents information in visual form wordnet
- 7 An electronic screen that shows graphics or text. countable, uncountable
- 8 something intended to communicate a particular impression wordnet
- 9 The presentation of information for visual or tactile reception. countable, uncountable
- 10 exhibiting openly in public view wordnet
- 11 behavior that makes your feelings public wordnet
Verb
- 1 To show conspicuously; to exhibit; to demonstrate; to manifest. transitive
"All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill. It was ugly, gross. Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connexion […] such talk had been distressingly out of place."
- 2 to show, make visible or apparent wordnet
- 3 To make a display; to act as one making a show or demonstration. intransitive
"Being the very fellow which of late / Diſplaid ſo ſawcily againſt your Highneſſe […]"
- 4 attract attention by displaying some body part or posing; of animals wordnet
- 5 To extend the front of (a column), bringing it into line, deploy.
"The Englishmen[…]display their ranks and[…]press hard upon their enemies."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To make conspicuous by using large or prominent type. dated
- 7 To discover; to descry. obsolete
"And from his seat took pleasure to display / The city so adorned with towers."
- 8 To spread out, to unfurl. obsolete
"The wearie Traueiler, wandring that way, / Therein did often quench his thristy heat, / And then by it his wearie limbes display, / Whiles creeping slomber made him to forget / His former paine [...]."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The author doesn't display much talent in his book."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "display"?
Common synonyms include: exhibit, presentation, show, showing, a project, advertise.
How do you use "display" in a sentence?
The author doesn't display much talent in his book.
How do you pronounce "display"?
Pronounced /dɪsˈpleɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English displayen, from Anglo-Norman despleier and Old French despleier, desploiier, from Medieval Latin displicare (“to unfold, display”), from Latin dis- (“apart”) + plicāre (“to fold”). Doublet of deploy.