magnify

verb

mag·ni·fy | \ˈmag-nə-ˌfī

magnified; magnifying

Definition of magnify

transitive verb

1a : extol, laud while they magnified the art, they often belittled the artist— Havelock Ellis

b : to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect

2a : to increase in significance : intensify real drama … will use ugliness to magnify beauty— 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.

intransitive verb

: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are a glass that magnifies greatly

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about magnify

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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

On July 10th America gave notice of its intention to place 10% tariffs on another $200bn-worth of Chinese goods, including swordfish, magnifying glasses, vacuum cleaners and red dye. — The Economist, "Donald Trump insists on trade reciprocity. But what kind?," 12 July 2018 To distinguish the synthetics from natural diamonds, De Beers will market them under the Lightbox Jewelry brand and mark them with a logo too small to see with the naked eye but visible to jewelers with magnifying glasses. — Mike Rogoway, OregonLive.com, "Diamonds in Gresham: De Beers will build $94 million synthetic gem factory," 31 May 2018 The usual rites of courtship happened at warp speed, magnified by Grande and Davidson’s visibility and collective wealth. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "What will become of the engagement ring Pete Davidson gave Ariana Grande?," 15 Oct. 2018 The strength and stability benefits are further magnified by the fact that this is a single-leg exercise. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Why You Should Add Hamstring Curls to Your Routine Like Celebrity Trainer Ashley Borden," 10 Oct. 2018 Oil prices just notched a post-2014 high—the inflationary impact magnified by the yuan’s big fall—with little prospect of relief, given the looming Iran sanctions. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "Inflation Rears Its Head in China," 28 Sep. 2018 Complicating matters is that this discussion is taking place in a highly partisan bubble, magnified by the nation’s political divide. — Juliet Linderman, The Seattle Times, "Hearing on Kavanaugh allegations puts #MeToo to the test," 25 Sep. 2018 This effect is magnified when a person—an investor extremely excited about a new business idea, a fervent collector looking for that one elusive piece—is subconsciously desperate for something to be the real deal. — The Editors, Town & Country, "Fraud Alert: The T&C Guide to Fakes, Grifters, Hoaxes, and Humbugs," 18 Sep. 2018 China’s tariff announcement on Monday sent global financial equities careening downwards, and the losses were likely magnified by President Trump’s Twitter attacks on Amazon, which sparked a selloff in tech stocks. — Nick Cunningham, USA TODAY, "Brewing trade war looms over oil markets as tariff battle escalates," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magnify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.