1
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
as the number of people with cell phones enlarges, more transmission towers will have to be built
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2
as in to expand
to make greater in size, amount, or number
with a new member of the family on the way, maybe we should consider enlarging the house
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3
as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
like a wild animal enlarged from a leghold trap, the freed prisoner raced about
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as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail
in your complaint, don't just say that your neighbor has been harassing you; enlarge on what you mean by that
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enlarge
Lidia Kurasinska, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Reversing the Biden administration’s IRS upgrade — not to mention firing 6,700 people in the middle of tax season — will reduce the revenue collected by the agency by more than the decrease in payroll costs and enlarge the deficit.
—Justin Fox, Twin Cities, 13 Mar. 2025
The purpose of the destruction was quickly made clear to him and his fellow soldiers: Israel was enlarging the buffer zone separating Palestinians from Israeli communities along the Gaza border.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
If the exteriors were constrained to faithful re-creations, the interiors offered vessels for experimentation, with two-story volumes carved out of both homes, rear windows reconfigured or enlarged, and ceiling height added by raising the roof and digging into the basement.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlarge
Verb
Their presence has also enlarged the labor force, helping businesses fill vacancies in understaffed sectors.
—Lidia Kurasinska, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Reversing the Biden administration’s IRS upgrade — not to mention firing 6,700 people in the middle of tax season — will reduce the revenue collected by the agency by more than the decrease in payroll costs and enlarge the deficit.
—Justin Fox, Twin Cities, 13 Mar. 2025
The purpose of the destruction was quickly made clear to him and his fellow soldiers: Israel was enlarging the buffer zone separating Palestinians from Israeli communities along the Gaza border.
—Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
If the exteriors were constrained to faithful re-creations, the interiors offered vessels for experimentation, with two-story volumes carved out of both homes, rear windows reconfigured or enlarged, and ceiling height added by raising the roof and digging into the basement.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlarge
Cite this Entry
“Enlarge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enlarge. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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