elaborate (on)

1
as in to exaggerate
to add to the interest of by including made-up details my friend tends to elaborate on his hiking experiences, turning an ordinary walk in the woods into a hair-raising adventure

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2
as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail the candidate for governor refused to elaborate on how she would balance the state's budget

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elaborate (on)
Verb
  • Distorted and exaggerated by Weegee’s hand—with grins set in a chilling rictus, or eyes and noses spread wide and pancaked—these idols became monsters.
    Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
  • Moral panics are created when politicians exaggerate a public concern to manipulate real fears people may have.
    Brittany Friedman, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • That will require Penix to develop into a top-10 quarterback and a radical upgrade on defense.
    Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The film and The Penguin TV spinoff exist in a universe separate from the main DCU. DC Studios is also concurrently developing The Brave and the Bold, centered on Batman and his son, Damian Wayne.
    Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to Trump, denied that last week, arguing taxpayers would pad their savings with stimulus checks.
    David Goldman, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Melo has padded his record with wins over lower card competition like Boise State does every year.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, about 90 minutes from L.A., Hollywood power couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have expanded their West Coast property portfolio with a vacation getaway in the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead.
    Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2025
  • The role has expanded into areas like physical security and global technology infrastructure.
    Aleksandr Yampolskiy, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • But some of the WHO’s work focuses on supplementing national health programs and filling gaps that benefit individual nations — specifically those with the least resources — rather than the world as a whole.
    Jess Craig, Vox, 17 Feb. 2025
  • The carts, in time, were supplemented with proper restaurants and, inevitably, chains both small and large.
    Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Elaborate (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elaborate%20%28on%29. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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