Show means to let someone see something or to demonstrate how something works. When you show your friend your new bike, you're making sure they can see it. When a teacher shows the class how to solve a problem, she's demonstrating the steps so everyone can understand and follow along.

The word appears everywhere in daily life. You might show your work on a math problem, meaning you write out each step so others can see your thinking. A scientist shows her results through experiments that others can observe. Museums show artwork and artifacts. A detective shows evidence to support a theory.

Show can also mean a performance or entertainment: a magic show, a talent show, or a television show. In this sense, performers are literally showing their skills to an audience.

When someone asks you to “show, don't tell,” they want you to demonstrate or illustrate something rather than just describe it with words. If you're writing a story and want readers to know a character is angry, you might show them stomping their feet and clenching their fists instead of simply writing “she was angry.”

People sometimes use show to mean reveal or prove: “Her hard work really showed in her final project” means the effort was visible and evident to everyone who saw it.