✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

exalt

verb

ex·​alt ig-ˈzȯlt How to pronounce exalt (audio)
exalted; exalting; exalts
Synonyms of exaltnext

transitive verb

1
: to raise in rank, power, or character
2
: to elevate by praise or in estimation : glorify
3
obsolete : elate
4
: to raise high : elevate
5
: to enhance the activity of : intensify
… rousing and exalting her imagination …George Eliot
exalter noun

Examples of exalt in a Sentence

His behavior has exalted the power and prestige of his office. The essay exalts the simple beauty of the country. We exalt thee, O Lord. He shamelessly exalts his own role in the peace process.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Stadiums are secular megachurches, where believers gather to share communion, to exalt and mourn, and to don the vestments of faith. John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025 The less exalted won’t be so lucky. Lionel Laurent, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025 Weeping delights in the exalted, the sublime, the magnificent — a symphony, a vista, megafauna, even a brilliant dissertation. Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025 In developing proprietary colors and in-house embroideries, the late founder set a template that Shukla is exalting. Miles Socha, Footwear News, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exalt

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin exaltare, from ex- + altus high — more at old

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of exalt was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exalt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exalt. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

exalt

verb
ex·​alt ig-ˈzȯlt How to pronounce exalt (audio)
1
: to raise in rank, power, or character
2
: to praise highly : glorify
exalter noun

Medical Definition

exalt

transitive verb
ex·​alt ig-ˈzȯlt How to pronounce exalt (audio)
: to cause (virulence) to increase
virulence exalted by addition of mucin to a bacterial culture
also : to increase the virulence of
exalt a virus by repeated rapid passage through susceptible hosts

More from Merriam-Webster on exalt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!