magnified; magnifying
Definition of magnify
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.
: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
a glass that magnifies greatly
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
- What is an earlier meaning of nice?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Anagram puzzles meet word search.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times
Do you know these earlier meanings of words?
Take the quizWords of Snow and Ice Quiz
A selection of words from the chillier parts of t...
Take the quizSpell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quizSCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
Share magnify
Time Traveler for magnify
The first known use of magnify was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century