Words / B2

ik-SPOHZH-uh/ɪkˈspəʊʒə/

Exposure is contact with something harmful, or being seen in public: exposure to asbestos; media exposure. Expose is the verb (already in the dictionary). Contact is weaker. A solvent spill meant exposure closed the lab. Photography: exposure is light on the sensor. Do not write “an expose” for the noun unless you mean a scandal story (exposé).

Meaning

Contact with something harmful; also public attention, wanted or not.

Examples

• “Prolonged exposure to the solvent closed the lab for a week.”
• “The charity wanted exposure, not a quiet donation, which is the publicity sense.”

Good to know

exposure to + hazard; public / media exposure. Verb: expose. Photo: a long exposure. Scandal story: exposé. Health-and-safety and media studies.

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