display and show share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. display means “something intended to communicate a particular impression”. show means “give an exhibition of to an interested audience”. show is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈspleɪ/
1.n.something intended to communicate a particular impression
“made a display of strength”
2.n.something shown to the public
“the museum had many exhibits of oriental art”
3.n.a visual representation of something
/ˈʃoʊ/
1.v.give an exhibition of to an interested audience
“She shows her dogs frequently”
2.v.establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
“The experiment demonstrated the instability of the compound”
3.v.provide evidence for
“The blood test showed that he was the father”
| display | show | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈspleɪ/ | /ˈʃoʊ/ |
| Said | di-SPLAY | shoh |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Letters | 7 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | verb, noun |
| Senses | 8 | 16 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | show | demo, exhibit, present |
Full entry for display · Full entry for show · More comparisons