elaborate (on)

1
as in to exaggerate
to add to the interest of by including made-up details my friend tends to elaborate on his hiking experiences, turning an ordinary walk in the woods into a hair-raising adventure

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2
as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail the candidate for governor refused to elaborate on how she would balance the state's budget

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elaborate (on)
Verb
  • Second, the extent of the controversies has often been exaggerated: a handful of Trump supporters have stuck their heads above the parapet, the media have sniffed drama and written up stories about friction, and nothing has ultimately changed.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 27 June 2025
  • One has been associated with a group that exaggerates the rare risks and harms of vaccines while casting doubt on their benefits.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Rosenberg emphasizes that at this point, AI is still just another tool that’s used for developing content—like CGI.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 24 June 2025
  • Headquartered at The Pentagon, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is a U.S. Department of Defense organization responsible for developing, testing, and deploying a layered missile defense system.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • What to look for in a quality diaper bag Padding The best diaper bags have padding in the straps.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
  • The Cubs took care of business in May, padding their record during a softer stretch of the schedule that featured the Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • Hackers over the years have expanded their target list to include cities and municipalities, hospitals, hotels and casinos, as reported by CBS News' 60 Minutes.
    Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 20 June 2025
  • Organizers are also expanding the slate of live podcasts with Johnny Manziel’s Glory Daze and Jeff Teague’s 520 Podcast set to take the stage, for example.
    Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • The group of rats that was fed a diet supplemented with chitosan expelled more MPs that any of the other groups.
    Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Mütter’s bequest was eventually supplemented by donations from other physicians and scientists.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Elaborate (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elaborate%20%28on%29. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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