expose (someone, something, or oneself) to (someone or something)
(redirected from expose something to)expose (someone, something, or oneself) to (someone or something)
1. To bring someone, something, or oneself into contact with someone or something, often with negative consequences. Well, my mom is really sick, which means that we might have exposed the kids to the flu virus when we had her watch them last week. I created that bleached effect by exposing the film to the light. I try not to expose myself to too many news programs—it's too depressing.
2. To reveal private information to someone or something. If he exposed his true intentions to the board, he'd be fired for sure. She was arrested for exposing state secrets to a foreign agent. Hey, you can't expose confidential patient information to other patients!
3. To expose one's genitalia to someone. Almost always said of a man exposing his penis. In this usage, a reflexive pronoun is always used. The video shows a man exposing himself to a woman in the parking lot. I hope that man gets help—he clearly has issues if he thinks it's OK to expose himself to people in the park. A: "Did you hear that someone got busted for exposing himself to unsuspecting passersby at the mall?" B: "No! I'm really glad I stayed home today."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
expose someone or something to someone or something
to show someone or something to someone or something. You should not expose the children to violent movies at their age. Do not expose the film to the light.
expose something (or oneself) to someone or something
to disclose someone's or something's secrets to someone or a group. He exposed his inner thoughts to everyone there. She refused to expose herself to the ears of the curious and ceased talking. He exposed himself to the public when he revealed his involvement in the arms sale.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.