Display Means Both the Screen and the Showing
To display something is to put it where it can be seen. The same word names the thing doing the showing, which is why the glass in front of you is called a display.
Display covers two jobs at once: the act of showing something openly, and the surface or arrangement that does the showing. A museum displays a fossil; the case it sits in is also a display. The word arrived from a Latin verb meaning to unfold, the same root that gives us *deploy* — a display is something spread out where eyes can reach it.
- To show something openly. *The bakery displays its bread in the window.*
- To reveal a quality or feeling. *She displayed remarkable patience.*
- An arrangement made to be looked at. *A window display.*
- A screen that shows information. *The phone has a six-inch display.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | display | They display the results. |
| Past | displayed | The score was displayed. |
| -ing | displaying | Displaying the flag. |
| Noun | display | A fireworks display. |
| Phrase | on display | The painting is on display. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The trophies are on display in the entrance hall.On display is the standard phrase for something being shown.
- He displayed no emotion when the verdict was read.Displayed is common for feelings that could be seen but were not.
- Turn the brightness of the display down at night.Here display simply means the screen.
Display, exhibit, show and parade
- Display — put where it can be seen, deliberately or not
- Exhibit — display formally, often in a gallery or a court
- Show — the everyday word, and the one that can mean a performance
- Parade — display something proudly, often too proudly
- Flaunt — display in a way meant to provoke envy
From Old French *despleier*, from Latin *displicare*, to unfold or scatter, built from *dis* (apart) and *plicare* (to fold). The same Latin verb, taken a second time through French, produced *deploy*. Both words describe spreading something out: troops in one case, goods or pixels in the other.
Is a display the same as a monitor?
A monitor is a standalone screen with a case and a stand. A display is the screen itself, whether it sits in a phone, a dashboard or a monitor.
Can you display a feeling?
Yes. Displaying courage, anger or patience is normal English, and it suggests the feeling was visible to others.