Showboating means showing off your skills or accomplishments in a flashy, excessive way, usually to get attention and admiration. When a soccer player does an unnecessary flip after scoring, or spends extra time celebrating instead of getting back to the game, that's showboating. When a student who aces a test makes sure everyone in class knows about it by loudly announcing their grade, they're showboating.

Today, showboating means putting on your own kind of show, turning a simple accomplishment into a dramatic performance.

What makes something showboating isn't the celebration itself, but the extra flair added purely for attention. A gymnast who raises her arms after a routine isn't showboating. But if she added cartwheels, posed for imaginary cameras, and took multiple bows, that would cross into showboating territory. The action serves no purpose except to say, “look at me!”

Coaches often discourage showboating because it can seem disrespectful to opponents and teammates. It shifts focus from the team's success to one person's ego.