show off — boast
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+informalcommon
To act in a way that draws attention to yourself because you want others to admire you, often by talking about your achievements or possessions.
Say it like a native
Textbook He is inclined to ostentatiously display his accomplishments.
Native He's always showing off.
'Show off' is the everyday word; 'ostentatiously display' is bookish.
Pattern: show off (about something)
In use
- He always tries to show off by talking about his expensive car.daily life
- In my opinion, some people show off on social media by posting pictures of their luxury holidays.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He likes to show off himself.
✓ He likes to show off.
In the 'brag' sense it's intransitive — no object 'himself'.
Common collocations
show off— always, stop showing off, just showing off, in front of
Don't confuse it
Different from 'brag', which is usually just talking; 'show off' can include actions.
Related
- show off (display something proudly) — Another meaning of 'show off' is 'display something proudly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.