magnify

verb

mag·​ni·​fy ˈmag-nə-ˌfī 

magnified; magnifying

transitive verb

1

a

: extol, laud

while they magnified the art, they often belittled the artist

—Havelock Ellis

b

: to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect

2

a

: to increase in significance : intensify

real drama … will use ugliness to magnify beauty

—Alan Mickle

b

: exaggerate

magnifies every minor issue to crisis proportions

3

: to enlarge in fact or in appearance

The lens magnified the image 100 times.

intransitive verb

: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are

a glass that magnifies greatly

Synonyms

• color
• elaborate (on)
• embellish
• embroider
• exaggerate
• hyperbolize
• pad
• stretch

Examples of magnify in a Sentence

The sound was magnified by the calm air.

His failures have been magnified by the success of his friends.

I don't want to magnify the importance of these problems.

The lens magnified the image 100 times.

a magnified view of the image

Recent Examples on the Web

The strains were real, and their impact was vastly magnified by social media and television. —Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2024

The barrel selection also magnifies the wood influence. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Security An incident this week in which ballot drop boxes were set ablaze at two locations in Washington and Oregon magnified concerns over some major action on Election Day. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is magnifying concerns that the Biden-Harris administration is playing political games with Iranian attempts to influence the 2024 presidential election. —Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English magnifien, from Anglo-French magnifier, from Latin magnificare, from magnificus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

magnify

verb

mag·​ni·​fy ˈmag-nə-ˌfī 

magnified; magnifying

1

: extol, praise

2

a

: to increase in importance

b

: exaggerate

3

: to enlarge in fact or in appearance

a microscope magnifies an object seen through it

magnifier

-ˌfī(-ə)r

noun

Medical Definition

magnify

verb

mag·​ni·​fy ˈmag-nə-ˌfī 

magnified; magnifying

transitive verb

: to enlarge in appearance

intransitive verb

: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are