Synonyms

enlarge

American

[en-lahrj] / ɛnˈlɑrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

to make larger; increase in extent, bulk, or quantity; add to.

They enlarged the house by adding an east wing.

Synonyms:

dilate, amplify, magnify, extend

Antonyms:

diminish
to increase the capacity or scope of; expand.

We've decided to enlarge the company.

Antonyms:

contract
to make (a photographic print) larger than the negative by projecting the negative's image through a lens onto photographic printing paper.

verb (used without object)

to grow larger; increase; expand.
to speak or write at large; expatiate.

to enlarge upon a point.

enlarge British

/ ɪnˈlɑːdʒ /

verb

to make or grow larger in size, scope, etc; increase or expand
(tr) to make (a photographic print) of a larger size than the negative
(intr; foll by on or upon) to speak or write (about) in greater detail; expatiate (on)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What are other ways to say enlarge?

To enlarge something is to make it larger or to add to it. How does enlarge differ from increase and augment? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of enlarge

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enlargen, from Old French enlargir, enlarger. See en- ¹, large

Explanation

When you enlarge something, you make it bigger. If you build a huge addition on the side of your house, you enlarge it. You can enlarge a sand castle by dumping another bucket of sand on it, or enlarge your hairdo by curling and teasing it. When a photographer enlarges a photograph, she blows it up, or prints a much larger copy of it, and you can also enlarge an idea, or someone's understanding of it, by clarifying or explaining it. The Old French root of enlarge is enlargier, "to widen, increase, or make larger."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing enlarge

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He has used the novel tack of publicly proclaiming his lack of independence to enlarge himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The listening that democracy requires means “catching someone else’s words in flight” and trying to enlarge their meaning.

From Slate • Jan. 2, 2026

Remarkably, the cell's internal structures remain intact and stretch proportionally, allowing researchers to enlarge the specimen up to 16 times without using high-powered lenses.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

He was, for example, appalled at the force-feeding of ducks and geese to enlarge their livers to produce foie gras.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2025

He swayed, watching his nose enlarge, his mouth, his ears.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023