magnify

verb

mag·​ni·​fy ˈmag-nə-ˌfī How to pronounce magnify (audio)
magnified; magnifying
Synonyms of magnify

transitive verb

1
a
: extol, laud
While they magnified the art, they often belittled the artist …—Havelock Ellis
b
: to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect
2
a
: to increase in significance : intensify
… real drama … will use ugliness to magnify beauty …—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.

intransitive verb

: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are
a glass that magnifies greatly

Synonyms of magnify

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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.
Wall Street banks that had lent Situational Awareness gobs of money to magnify its bets issued the fund margin calls—non-negotiable demands to stump up more cash. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Michigan’s importance is only magnified by its place near the front of Democrats’ 2028 presidential nominating calendar, raising the stakes for a party already looking ahead to its next presidential contest. — Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 6 Aug. 2026 Deception has always existed in business, but AI has magnified it to unbelievable levels. — Muhamad Aly Rifai, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 The mistakes are also more magnified, which is where the nerves come into play. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for magnify

Word History

Etymology

Middle English magnifien, from Anglo-French magnifier, from Latin magnificare, from magnificus

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of magnify was in the 14th century

Rhymes for magnify

See All Rhymes for magnify

Browse Nearby Words

magnifier
magnify
magnifying glass
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Magnify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnify. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

magnify

verb
mag·​ni·​fy ˈmag-nə-ˌfī How to pronounce magnify (audio)
magnified; magnifying
1
: extol, praise
2
a
: to increase in importance
b
: exaggerate
3
: to enlarge in fact or in appearance
a microscope magnifies an object seen through it
magnifier
-ˌfī(-ə)r
noun

Medical Definition

magnify

verb
mag·​ni·​fy ˈmag-nə-ˌfī How to pronounce magnify (audio)
magnified; magnifying

transitive verb

: to enlarge in appearance

intransitive verb

: to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are

More from Merriam-Webster on magnify

Nglish: Translation of magnify for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gnomic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All