exposition: Meaning and Definition of

ex•po•si•tion

1. a large-scale public exhibition or show, as of art or manufactured products: an exposition of 19th-century paintings; an automobile exposition.
2. the act of expounding, setting forth, or explaining: the exposition of a point of view.
3. writing or speech primarily intended to convey information or to explain; a detailed statement or explanation; explanatory treatise: The students prepared expositions on familiar essay topics.
4. the act of presenting to view; display: The singer gave a splendid exposition of vocal talent.
5. exposure (def. 10).
6. the state of being exposed; exposure.
7. the first section of a fugue or a sonata form, in which the principal themes normally are introduced.
8. (in a play, novel, etc.) dialogue, description, etc., that gives the audience or reader the background of the characters and the present situation.