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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Relevance
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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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2025
On a couple of occasions, audience members are brought onstage to enlarge the community that much more.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025
Each armed conflict that a President undertook without congressional authorization became a precedent that further enlarged what the executive branch considered constitutionally permissible.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 28 June 2025
Great leaders are constantly enlarging their sphere of awareness – and yours along with it.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlarge
Verb
In the case of the 996, the mill was enlarged from the Boxster’s 3.0-liter flat-six to a 3.4-liter version.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2025
On a couple of occasions, audience members are brought onstage to enlarge the community that much more.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 22 July 2025
Each armed conflict that a President undertook without congressional authorization became a precedent that further enlarged what the executive branch considered constitutionally permissible.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 28 June 2025
Great leaders are constantly enlarging their sphere of awareness – and yours along with it.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 27 June 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 22 Aug. 2025.
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