To exude means to display a quality or feeling so strongly that others can easily sense it. When someone exudes confidence, you can see it in how they walk, talk, and carry themselves. A teacher who exudes enthusiasm makes every lesson feel exciting just through their energy and passion.

It captures the sense of something flowing naturally outward from within. A student might exude nervousness before a big presentation through fidgeting and a shaky voice, even if they're trying to appear calm. A warm home might exude coziness through soft lighting, comfortable furniture, and the smell of baking bread.

Exude can also describe physical substances slowly seeping out, like when tree sap exudes from bark. But the most common use describes personal qualities that radiate outward so powerfully that everyone around can feel them.