magnify

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verb mag·ni·fy \ ˈmag-nə-ˌfī \

Definition of magnify

magnified; magnifying

transitive verb

1 a :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

2 a :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

See magnify defined for English-language learners

See magnify defined for kids

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 of magnify from the Web

The impact could be magnified under an obscure provision of the bill that might generate a lawsuit to end Alaska’s Medicaid expansion almost immediately.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Did the ‘Kodiak Kickback’ Buy Lisa Murkowski’s Vote for Trumpcare?," 17 July 2017
As far as the S Pen, there haven’t been any rumors about new Note8 features for Samsung’s stylus, but last year brought new Air Command shortcuts like magnify and translate, and added off-screen memos for quick note-taking.

— michael simon, PCWorld, "Galaxy Note8: Everything we know about Samsung’s next flagship phablet," 17 July 2017
That power is kept on the ground by MacPherson strut suspension on the front end, married to electronic stability control, ABS and an electronic braking control system that magnifies the Mini’s cornering ability.

— charles fleming, Detroit Free Press, "Review: 2017 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4 is a quaint mini, souped up," 5 July 2017
The situation is obviously magnified because of the duo’s celebrity, says Goldberg, who notes that every single one of Kardashian’s nearly 10 million Instagram followers can download or screenshot the photos, and re-post them.

— lindsay kimble, EW.com, "Rob Kardashian could face revenge porn charges for explicit photos of Blac Chyna," 5 July 2017
Surprise contention raises expectations, and then magnifies a team’s faults.

— SI.com, "16. Minnesota Twins (41–40, minus-59, LT: 17)," 2 July 2017
A surfacing seal spotted in a thinning fog could easily be magnified to the viewer.

— john schandelmeier, Alaska Dispatch News, "Tales of Lake Iliamna monster resurface with new sightings," 29 June 2017
The onus on Riley to hit big in free agency is magnified.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Riley must land Hayward or Griffin in free agency for Heat to keep pace in new-era NBA," 29 June 2017
And with TV in the equation, of course everything is magnified.

— mike kern, Philly.com, "Kennett Square's Tom Carpus is the PGA's 'rules guy'," 28 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of magnify

Middle English magnifien, from Anglo-French magnifier, from Latin magnificare, from magnificus

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First Known Use: 14th century

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magnify Synonyms

Synonyms

color, elaborate (on), embellish, exaggerate, hyperbolize, embroider, pad, stretch

Antonyms

abase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate

Related Words

dress up, gussy up; amplify, enhance, enlarge (on or upon), expand, flesh (out); fudge, hedge; overdo, overdraw, overemphasize, overplay, overstate; emphasize, play up, stress; caricature; satirize

Near Antonyms

belittle, minimize, play down, understate

MAGNIFY Defined for English Language Learners

magnify

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verb

Definition of magnify for English Language Learners

: to make (something) greater
: to make (something) seem greater or more important than it is
: to make (something) appear larger

MAGNIFY Defined for Kids

magnify

play

verb mag·ni·fy \ ˈmag-nə-ˌfī \

Definition of magnify for Students

magnified; magnifying

1 :to enlarge in fact or appearance

A microscope magnifies an object seen through it.

2 :to cause to seem greater or more important :exaggerate

The problem has been magnified by rumors.

Medical Dictionary

magnify

play

verb mag·ni·fy \ ˈmag-nə-ˌfī \

medical Definition of magnify

magnified; magnifying

transitive verb

:to enlarge in appearance

intransitive verb

:to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are

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MAGNIFY Defined for English Language Learners

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