magnify
verb
mag·ni·fy
ˈmag-nə-ˌfī 
magnified; magnifying
1
2
a
: to increase in significance : intensify
… real drama … will use ugliness to magnify beauty …—
Alan Mickle
Alan Mickle
b
: exaggerate
magnifies every minor issue to crisis proportions
3
: to enlarge in fact or in appearance
The lens magnified the image 100 times.
: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
a glass that magnifies greatly
Examples of magnify in a Sentence
The sound was magnified by the calm air.
His failures have been magnified by the success of his friends.
I don't want to magnify the importance of these problems.
The lens magnified the image 100 times.
a magnified view of the image
Recent Examples on the Web
Patrick Eddington, a senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, says giving police this capability magnifies its potential problems.
—Meg Anderson, NPR, 19 June 2026
The organization’s frustration is magnified by its conviction that the biggest players in entertainment are missing a wide-open market opportunity.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 June 2026
The pain of losing so many beloved Camp Mystic girls is only magnified by the gap that has developed between us and some of the Heaven’s 27 families, which has kept us from communicating directly with them.
—Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Nearly 25% of parents who track their adult children said the monitoring could sometimes magnify their apprehensions rather than give them reassurance, according to the poll.
—Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for magnify
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Meg Anderson, NPR, 19 June 2026
The organization’s frustration is magnified by its conviction that the biggest players in entertainment are missing a wide-open market opportunity.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 June 2026
The pain of losing so many beloved Camp Mystic girls is only magnified by the gap that has developed between us and some of the Heaven’s 27 families, which has kept us from communicating directly with them.
—Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Nearly 25% of parents who track their adult children said the monitoring could sometimes magnify their apprehensions rather than give them reassurance, according to the poll.
—Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for magnify
Cite this Entry
“Magnify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnify. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
magnify
verb
mag·ni·fy
ˈmag-nə-ˌfī
magnified; magnifying
2
a
: to increase in importance
b
3
: to enlarge in fact or in appearance
a microscope magnifies an object seen through it
magnifier
noun
-ˌfī(-ə)r
Medical Definition
magnify
verb
mag·ni·fy
ˈmag-nə-ˌfī
magnified; magnifying
: to enlarge in appearance
: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
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