On this page12 sections
- Quick picker
- Show as "prove or point to": a scale of certainty
- Show as "let people see": display, exhibit, present
- Show as "teach how"
- Show as "let a feeling be seen"
- Show as "lead someone somewhere"
- Show up, show off, show around
- Show as a noun
- Before and after
- Common mistakes
- Practice
- Quick answers
The best other word for show depends on which “show” you mean. To show evidence, use demonstrate, reveal, indicate or prove. To show something to people, use display, present, exhibit or showcase. To show someone how to do something, say demonstrate, walk someone through or teach. To show a feeling, use express, convey or betray. And for the noun – a TV show, a stage show – try programme (US program), series, performance or production.
The tables below sort the synonyms by meaning, with a real sentence for each and a note on what changes when you swap. Pay special attention to the evidence verbs: in essays and reports, prove, show and suggest make very different claims.
Quick picker
| You mean… | Try | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Data or evidence supports a point | demonstrate, indicate, reveal, suggest | The survey indicates that most readers use phones. |
| Put something where people can see it | display, exhibit, present | The museum displays the original letters. |
| Show something off at its best | showcase, highlight, feature | The festival showcases local bands. |
| Teach someone how | demonstrate, walk through, guide | Can you walk me through the new system? |
| Let a feeling be seen | express, convey, reveal, betray | Her voice betrayed her nerves. |
| Take someone somewhere | lead, guide, escort, usher | The host ushered us to our table. |
| Arrive (show up) | turn up, appear, arrive | Only six people turned up. |
| Explain with an example | illustrate, exemplify | This case illustrates the risk. |
| A TV or stage show (noun) | programme, series, performance, production | The production runs until May. |
Show as “prove or point to”: a scale of certainty
This is the “show” most people are replacing in school and work writing – “the results show”, “this shows that”. The synonyms are not equal. Arranged from strongest to weakest:
| Verb | How sure you are | Example |
|---|---|---|
| prove | Beyond doubt. Rare in science, where results support rather than prove. | The receipt proves she was in Lisbon that day. |
| establish | Firmly settled, usually after careful work. | The inquiry established the cause of the fire. |
| demonstrate | Shown clearly by evidence or a test. | The trial demonstrated that the drug lowers blood pressure. |
| confirm | Shows that something already expected is true. | The scan confirmed the fracture. |
| reveal | Brings to light something hidden or unknown. | The audit revealed missing invoices. |
| show | Neutral, clear evidence. | The graph shows a steady rise. |
| indicate | Points towards a conclusion; a little more cautious. | Early figures indicate a fall in demand. |
| suggest | Makes something likely, not certain. | The findings suggest a link between sleep and memory. |
| imply / hint at | Only an indirect sign. | His silence hinted at disagreement. |
Other useful verbs in this group: highlight and underline (draw attention to a point), point to (“the data point to a seasonal effect”), reflect (“the rise reflects higher fuel costs”) and bear out (“the figures bear out her warning”).
Tip for essays: if you can’t name the evidence, don’t use prove or demonstrate. “This poem shows the poet’s grief” is fine; “this poem proves the poet was grieving” claims more than a poem can.
Show as “let people see”: display, exhibit, present
- display – put on view; also for screens. “The phone displays your step count.”
- exhibit – show in a gallery or museum (formal); in medicine and law, show signs: “The patient exhibited mild symptoms.”
- present – show to an audience in an organised way. “The team will present the design on Friday.”
- showcase – show at its best, to impress. “The portfolio showcases her editorial work.”
- feature – include as an important part. “The album features two new songs.”
- put on view / put on display – plain and idiomatic. “The trophy was put on display in the hall.”
- unveil – show for the first time, often with ceremony. “The company unveiled its new logo.”
- flaunt / show off – show proudly, often too proudly. “He couldn’t resist showing off his new car.”
- screen – show a film. “The cinema is screening the director’s early work.”
Show as “teach how”
- demonstrate – show by doing. “The chef demonstrated how to fold the dough.”
- walk someone through – step by step. “I’ll walk you through the form.”
- guide – help someone along. “Our tutor guided us through the first experiment.”
- teach / instruct – plain or formal. “She taught me to change a tyre.”
- model – in teaching, do something so others can copy it. “The teacher modelled a good answer on the board.”
- give someone a demo – casual, often for software. “Can you give me a quick demo?”
Grammar trap: you can show someone something, but you can’t demonstrate someone or explain someone. Say “demonstrate it to me” or “show me”. (The same trap appears with explain and its synonyms.)
Show as “let a feeling be seen”
- express – show a feeling or opinion, often in words. “He expressed his thanks to the volunteers.”
- convey – get a feeling or idea across. “Her email conveyed real concern.”
- reveal – let a hidden feeling be seen. “His smile revealed how relieved he was.”
- betray – show something you were trying to hide. “Her shaking hands betrayed her fear.”
- register – show on the face, briefly. “Surprise registered on his face.”
- wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve – show feelings openly (idiom). “She wears her heart on her sleeve; you always know how she feels.”
The difference between reveal and betray is control: you can choose to reveal a feeling, but something betrays it against your will.
Show as “lead someone somewhere”
- lead / take – neutral. “The nurse took us to the ward.”
- guide – lead and explain. “A ranger guided us along the trail.”
- escort – go with someone for safety or politeness. “Security escorted him out.”
- usher – show someone to a seat or room, formally. “We were ushered into the waiting room.”
- direct – tell someone the way. “A sign directed us to the car park.”
Show up, show off, show around
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Other words |
|---|---|---|
| show up | arrive, often late or unexpectedly; also “be visible” | turn up, appear, arrive, make it; (be visible) stand out |
| show someone up | embarrass someone, or do better than them | embarrass, humiliate; outshine, outdo |
| show off | try to impress | boast, flaunt, brag, swagger |
| show someone around | give a tour | give a tour, take someone round |
| show through | be visible behind something | come through, be visible |
Don’t mix up show up and show off: “He showed up at the party” (he came) is very different from “He showed off at the party” (he tried to impress everyone).
Show as a noun
| Kind of show | Other words |
|---|---|
| On TV or streaming | programme (UK), program (US), series, episode, sitcom, documentary, special |
| On a stage | performance, production, play, musical, concert, gig (music, informal), act |
| A public event to look at | exhibition, display, fair, expo, showcase, parade, pageant |
| Something impressive | spectacle, extravaganza, display (“a display of fireworks”) |
| Pretence | front, act, pretence, façade (“it was all for show” = “it was all an act”) |
| A sign of a quality | display, demonstration, expression (“a show of strength” = “a display of strength”) |
Before and after
Writers usually reach for a synonym because “show” appears three times in one paragraph. Here is how a precise verb fixes that:
| Repetitive | Sharper |
|---|---|
| The chart shows that sales fell, which shows a weak market. | The chart shows sales falling, which points to a weak market. |
| Let me show you how the app shows your messages. | Let me walk you through how the app displays your messages. |
| Her face showed nothing, but her hands showed she was nervous. | Her face gave nothing away, but her hands betrayed her nerves. |
| The gallery shows young artists to show their talent. | The gallery exhibits young artists to showcase their talent. |
| This example shows how the rule works. | This example illustrates how the rule works. |
Notice that one plain “show” is often kept. It is a clear, honest verb; the aim is to replace the ones that carry a more specific meaning, not every one.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why | Better |
|---|---|---|
| The results prove that exercise may help. | Prove and may contradict each other. | The results suggest that exercise may help. |
| Can you demonstrate me the steps? | Demonstrate takes to before the person. | Can you demonstrate the steps to me? / Can you show me the steps? |
| She exhibited her new phone to her friends. | Exhibit is formal: galleries, symptoms, evidence. | She showed off her new phone. |
| The study betrays a strong result. | Betray means revealing something hidden, against someone’s will. | The study reveals / shows a strong result. |
| I’ll show off at 8 p.m. | Show off means try to impress. | I’ll show up / arrive at 8 p.m. |
| My favourite show is Hamlet. (formal essay) | Fine in speech, vague in an essay. | My favourite play / production is Hamlet. |
Practice
Choose the best word for each gap. Use each word once: betrayed, displays, suggest, walk, unveiled, turned up, ushered, illustrates.
- The early results ______ the new timetable is working, but we need a full year of data.
- The city ______ its plans for the new bridge at a press conference.
- Can you ______ me through the checkout process?
- Only half the team ______ for the Saturday training.
- His voice ______ his disappointment, though he said he was fine.
- The dashboard ______ the battery level in the top corner.
- This story ______ how one small choice can change a life.
- A waiter ______ us to a table by the window.
Answers: 1 suggest (the data is not yet complete), 2 unveiled, 3 walk, 4 turned up, 5 betrayed (he was hiding it), 6 displays, 7 illustrates, 8 ushered.
Quick answers
What is a formal word for show? Demonstrate (for evidence or a method), indicate (for data), exhibit or present (for showing to an audience).
What can I say instead of “this shows”? “This demonstrates”, “this indicates”, “this suggests”, “this illustrates” or “this highlights” – pick by how strong your evidence is.
What’s another word for “showed up”? Turned up, arrived, appeared, came, made it.
What’s another word for “show” as a TV show? Programme (US: program), series, episode, sitcom, documentary.
More synonym guides: another word for important and another word for however. For how idioms like “wear your heart on your sleeve” work, see figurative language.