Definition of exaggerate
exaggerated
;exaggerating
transitive verb
1 : to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : overstate a friend exaggerates a man's virtues — Joseph Addison
2 : to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : overemphasize
intransitive verb
: to make an overstatement
exaggeratedly
adverbexaggeratedness
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of exaggerate in a Sentence
The book exaggerates the difficulties he faced in starting his career.
It's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this discovery.
He tends to exaggerate when talking about his accomplishments.
He exaggerated his movements so we could see them more clearly.
Recent Examples of exaggerate from the Web
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But since then, a wide range of CMS audits and other reviews have found that Medicare wastes billions of tax dollars annually because some health plans inflate risk scores by exaggerating how sick their patients are.
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Most were probably exaggerating, at least a little bit.
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A Brazilian appeals court ruled Thursday that Ryan Lochte had not broken the law by exaggerating about what happened during the gas station incident from the 2016 Olympics, according to USA Today Sports.
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A Brazilian appeals court ruled Thursday that Ryan Lochte had not broken the law by exaggerating about what happened during the gas station incident from the 2016 Olympics.
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Any color that is the opposite of your natural undertone on a color wheel will exaggerate your natural tone.
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Comedians rely on exaggerating or distorting reality.
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Exaggerated patterns on chiffon dresses elevates the everyday Doc Martens–and-jean-jacket look.
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Certain medications, like beta blockers, ACE receptor blockers, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and diuretics, can exaggerate the body’s response to heat.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exaggerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of exaggerate
Latin exaggeratus, past participle of exaggerare, literally, to heap up, from ex- + agger heap, from aggerere to carry toward, from ad- + gerere to carry
EXAGGERATE Defined for English Language Learners
exaggerate
playDefinition of exaggerate for English Language Learners
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: to think of or describe something as larger or greater than it really is
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: to make (something) larger or greater than normal
EXAGGERATE Defined for Kids
exaggerate
playDefinition of exaggerate for Students
exaggerated
;exaggerating
: to describe as larger or greater than what is true She exaggerated her successes.
Learn More about exaggerate
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See words that rhyme with exaggerate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for exaggerate Spanish Central: Translation of exaggerate Nglish: Translation of exaggerate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of exaggerate for Arabic speakers
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