elaborate (on)

Definition of elaborate (on)next
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
  • With not a lot of airtime to transition her protagonist from reasonable to out of touch with reality, Jonas relegated much of her character’s contemplative qualities to the asides and exaggerated her more base characteristics by adding in some reckless behavior.
    Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Some health experts have said that, while there has been evidence of fraud, the concerns have been exaggerated.
    Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But Ukraine never developed a defense against ballistic missiles.
    Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Connecticut has been known for its tightknit and long-lasting hardcore scene, which began in the 1980s and had developed a solid core community by the early ‘90s.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But on Tuesday, Adebayo kept going, for no reason but to pad his points tally in pursuit of Kobe.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • In between, the actress also padded her résumé with various parody films.
    Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Situationist is also expanding its team, with a new office above the new store.
    Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Republican lawmakers are opposed to expanding health care to undocumented immigrants, and particularly ready to attack Democrat efforts to raise new revenues to do so.
    Andrew Graham March 9, Sacbee.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Panthers made two acquisitions on Friday in forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Cole Reinhardt that will help supplement the team’s forward group the rest of the way.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
  • As the band started to gain more recognition locally, Ramos and JOP got temporary warehouse jobs to supplement their income.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
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 15 Mar. 2026.

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