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
  • Critics say the deal undervalued the golf course and exaggerated the benefits.
    Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
  • Dissenting Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not exaggerate the consequences of the court’s 6-3 decision.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
Verb
  • Reef habitats support aquatic plants and animals, allowing young marine life to develop.
    Rafe Pomerance, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2025
  • The grant is being accompanied by the formation of a new board to develop and oversee a reinvigorated vision that will carry the 180-year old cemetery into the future.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
Verb
  • And this time, our impact wasn’t padding packers or improving the bottom line but creating a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of struggling families.
    Rachelle Rutherford, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Over the span of about a half a day, the jailer said, 53 inmates used the glitch to pad their commissary accounts, which can be used to buy things like food items and toiletries and to fund phone calls and other communications with the outside world.
    Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Weeks later, the BBC expanded Frediani’s empire to include News at One.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 1 July 2025
  • Romanticize your sleep with Tekla’s dainty bedding Since launching in 2017, Tekla has expanded from bedding into sleepwear, bathroom sets, and more.
    Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Their plan, announced in a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, would establish a new fund parallel to the existing Social Security Trust Fund, investing in a diversified portfolio including stocks and bonds to achieve higher returns and supplement traditional funding methods.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
  • People who adhere to a vegan diet may need to supplement with vitamin B12.
    Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 11 July 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 14 Jul. 2025.

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