to steal the show
14
3.7
- idiom
- /stiːl ðə ʃoʊ/
- Informal
:
acaparar la atención
- But I'm reassured that the villain of the film is compelling and steals the show in some ways.
- nearly stole the show
- stole the show with a performance
- trying to steal the show
Nicodemus was here and she stole the show.
- Nicodemus was here and she stole the show.
- And I've got to tell you, TK and I did great, but Nicodemus stole the show.
- Yes, I'm not an actress and I don't feel like I'm stealing the show from those super talented guys because this is how the industry works, right?
- You're going to walk out in in Las Vegas and you're going to steal the show.
- And that is sort of my approach on Momofuku terms and on my own terms of how I design desserts and steal the show.
Examples
-
In 2004, Barack Obama, then a little-known Illinois state senator, stole the show at the Democratic convention as the keynote speaker.
Blog text (29) -
In a scene at the Apollo Theater, a sparkling Trista Dollison steals the show with a mesmerizing rendition of "Shout."
Blog text (30) -
I will not let that girl steal the show.
-
And so you were stealing the show in a lot of ways.
-
No one's gonna steal the show from the bride on her special day.
-
I was there because I was the guest speaker, but as far as I am concerned, that student stole the show.
Fiction book (2000) -
The choreography was something to watch, but the backup dancers really seemed to steal the show.
Blog text (32) -
In fact, even with all the returning cast members, Freeman pretty much steals the show, judging from the clips we saw.
Blog text (6) -
At the awards ceremony, her heartfelt speech really stole the show and moved everyone in the audience.
-
In the school play, the young actor managed to steal the show with his impressive performance.
Synonyms
216
3.2
To act proudly to get attention or praise
138
3.6
To do very well and be noticed for ability
23
4.4
To quickly become very popular and liked by many people
11
3.9
Get a lot of attention in an exciting way
7
4.4
To attract a lot of attention because of how you look or what you wear
2
3.9
To let people see your skills
1
5.1
Become the main focus of people's attention after doing something important
1
7.5
Act in a flashy way to get attention
1
8.8
To do something showy to impress or excite people
1
3.5
To be very good at a particular activity
1
7.3
To perform confidently on stage and keep the audience's attention
1
6.7
Make an audience like you and pay close attention
To impress people more than others
To make someone very impressed or be much better than something
Act in a loud way to get attention and impress people
Antonyms
How Impressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
steal + the + show
The meaning is based on a metaphorical use of 'steal' (take away) applied to 'show' (a performance), so the literal words do not directly state 'attract the most attention' without recognizing the metaphor. Because this mapping (stealing attention/spotlight) is fairly common cross-linguistically (e.g., French 'voler la vedette', Portuguese 'roubar a cena') a B1 learner who knows the words may sometimes infer the sense, but it is not fully predictable.
Etymology
Steal the show creates a clear picture: imagine someone secretly stealing the spotlight at a show, taking the applause and attention from the others. That's why it means 'to attract the most attention or praise'.