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 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

These strategies fuel mistrust and anger, leading millions of people to take to social media to express contempt for their political opponents, with the media magnifying the most extreme voices. — Justin Amash, Twin Cities, "Justin Amash: Our politics is in a partisan death spiral. That’s why I’m leaving my party," 10 July 2019 That means planet gazers can see Saturn's rings in any telescope that magnifies to at least 20 power, or sharper, Space.com reports. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Saturn will get so close to Earth its rings will be visible through a telescope," 9 July 2019 These strategies fuel mistrust and anger, leading millions of people to take to social media to express contempt for their political opponents, with the media magnifying the most extreme voices. — Justin Amash, The Denver Post, "Justin Amash: Our politics is in a partisan death spiral. That’s why I’m leaving the GOP," 5 July 2019 This was a game the Padres could have and should have won, which seemed magnified as the struggling Giants come to Petco with a chance for even more steam. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: No matter pain of Cardinals loss, Padres remain interesting and in it," 30 June 2019 Trust is a slippery subject, especially when magnified to the scale of a global financial infrastructure. — Joe Lubin, Quartz, "Facebook’s cryptocurrency is a centralized wolf in decentralized sheep’s clothing," 21 June 2019 The yen tends to rise in times of global economic uncertainty as Japanese investors repatriate portions of their massive external holdings, and the BOJ’s control of the yield curve will only magnify that. — Mike Bird, WSJ, "Japan’s Lesson for the Fed: No Central Bank Is an Island," 19 June 2019 Trump is such a polarizing figure that this effect will surely be magnified. — Eugene Robinson, The Mercury News, "Robinson: Trump’s making DC’s 4th of July a rally to honor himself," 18 June 2019 These strategies fuel mistrust and anger, leading millions of people to take to social media to express contempt for their political opponents, with the media magnifying the most extreme voices. — Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, "Justin Amash quits Republican Party, saying U.S. is in a 'partisan death spiral'," 29 May 2019

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.