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
  • Tainy’s Prometheus — is portrayed by Feid, dressed in an oversized leather coat and lit in a manner that exaggerates his grills in an eerie way.
    Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
  • In the series, Gacy enjoyed talking about many of his accomplishments and exaggerating some of his stories.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But while our bodies can develop immunity to viruses, even the savviest of travelers can fall victim to pickpockets on their travels.
    Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Chelsea shared on her Instagram Stories that the toddler had developed transient synovitis from a viral infection.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Toronto padded its advantage with a massive seventh inning when five hits drove in four runs.
    Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
  • At eight episodes, most running over 50 minutes, Down Cemetery Road feels consistently padded and, especially in its first half, the momentum meanders in frustrating ways.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • At the crux of those tensions are a gaping trade imbalance and efforts from the US to ensure its national security against an increasingly assertive China, including by expanding restrictions on China’s access to American high tech, like the advanced semiconductors needed to power AI.
    Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Seeing as how the first tribe swap failed to shake anything up and gave us two more obvious telegraphed votes, the producers decided to blow it all up again and expand back to three tribes.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Continue to water the lawn two times a week for 30 minutes or provide enough to supplement any rainfall so the lawn gets about 1 ½ inches.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Meanwhile, others have offered the restaurant donations to supplement Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Pasta kids’ meals — for instance, Vallorz said, First 5 is donating books, and a bakery plans to offer cupcakes to participating families.
    Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 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 Nov. 2025.

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