steal the show
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Attract attention away from the main thing.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
As ever, although one shoe steals the show, there six a healthy supporting cast of new characters in the top selling technical range.
An opinion endorsed by not a few others who whispered among themselves — some of them when Amabel was not listening, others when she very obviously was — that Linnet Gage had stolen the show.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “steal the show” mean?
Attract attention away from the main thing.
Is “steal the show” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.