magnify
verb
mag·ni·fy
ˈmag-nə-ˌfī 
magnified; magnifying
1
2
a
: to increase in significance : intensify
real drama … will use ugliness to magnify beauty—
Alan Mickle
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.
: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
a glass that magnifies greatly
Synonyms
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
Between December 2017 and 2018, Bitcoin’s leverage magnified its crash as the bull market run ended, leading to a price fall of 80%.
—Trefis Team, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Those opportunities were at a minimum last season due to injuries, a leaky defence and Erik ten Hag’s tactical inflexibility, which magnified Rashford’s glaring out-of-possession deficiencies.
—James McNicholas, The Athletic, 25 Dec. 2024
The Covid pandemic further magnified these issues, with Wadhera’s study finding that cardiovascular mortality rose by 3.6% in urban areas but by 8.3% in rural areas between 2019 and 2022.
—Simar Bajaj, NBC News, 21 Dec. 2024
To the contrary, all the lobbying was from the national security state with the ulterior motive of magnifying the Chinese threat a millionfold to hike its bloated $1.5 trillion annual budget.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for magnify 
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Trefis Team, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Those opportunities were at a minimum last season due to injuries, a leaky defence and Erik ten Hag’s tactical inflexibility, which magnified Rashford’s glaring out-of-possession deficiencies.
—James McNicholas, The Athletic, 25 Dec. 2024
The Covid pandemic further magnified these issues, with Wadhera’s study finding that cardiovascular mortality rose by 3.6% in urban areas but by 8.3% in rural areas between 2019 and 2022.
—Simar Bajaj, NBC News, 21 Dec. 2024
To the contrary, all the lobbying was from the national security state with the ulterior motive of magnifying the Chinese threat a millionfold to hike its bloated $1.5 trillion annual budget.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for magnify
Dictionary Entries Near magnify
Cite this Entry
“Magnify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnify. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
magnify
verb
mag·ni·fy
ˈmag-nə-ˌfī
magnified; magnifying
2
a
: to increase in importance
b
3
: to enlarge in fact or in appearance
a microscope magnifies an object seen through it
magnifier
noun
-ˌfī(-ə)r
Medical Definition
magnify
verb
mag·ni·fy
ˈmag-nə-ˌfī
magnified; magnifying
: to enlarge in appearance
: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
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