amplification

noun

am·​pli·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌam-plə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

a

: an act, example, or product of amplifying

b

: a usually massive replication of genetic material and especially of a gene or DNA sequence (as in a polymerase chain reaction)

2

a

: the particulars by which a statement is expanded

b

: an expanded statement

Examples of amplification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The spot dropped weeks before the premiere, essentially using the World Cup's emotional momentum as free amplification for a show that hadn't aired a new episode in three years. — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

This prescient issue is buried in a recent, must-read Free Press article by Niall Ferguson and John-Clark Levin that laments the growing impotence of the old-fashioned historian in the face of bots and algorithmic amplifications. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

Even so, sonic adventurers, beginning with Leopold Stokowski in the 1930s, experimented with amplification in an obsessive, seemingly quixotic effort to locate a mythical sonic grail on the Cahuenga Pass. — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Stripped of amplification and surrounded by the tunnels’ millions of human remains, the performance transformed songs from across the band’s catalog into stark, intimate arrangements, with Homme describing the project as years in the making. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin amplificātiōn-, amplificātiō "act of making greater, enlarging upon (in rhetoric)," from amplificāre "to increase the size of, amplify" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing amplification

• amplification host

Rhymes for amplification

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

amplification

noun

am·​pli·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌam-plə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

: an act, example, or product of amplifying

Medical Definition

amplification

noun

am·​pli·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌam-plə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: an act, example, or product of amplifying

2

: a usually massive replication of genetic material and especially of a gene or DNA sequence (as in a polymerase chain reaction)