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
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
Systems that communicate not just within a specific carmaker's technology but in a central database, for example, could magnify the potential benefits outlined above.
—Mark Pittman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Every detail becomes magnified, resulting in confusion and a lack of clarity.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Those rankings sell Jackson short as a run blocker; his absence due to knee surgery magnified his value on outside zone runs.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2025
Every year, Indigenous people set small low-intensity fires to manage the landscape and clean out low-lying brush — a process that magnified the yield of their plants for medicine and craft-making.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnify
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Mark Pittman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Every detail becomes magnified, resulting in confusion and a lack of clarity.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Those rankings sell Jackson short as a run blocker; his absence due to knee surgery magnified his value on outside zone runs.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Feb. 2025
Every year, Indigenous people set small low-intensity fires to manage the landscape and clean out low-lying brush — a process that magnified the yield of their plants for medicine and craft-making.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnify
Cite this Entry
“Magnify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnify. Accessed 3 Mar. 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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