enlarge
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make larger; increase in extent, bulk, or quantity; add to.
They enlarged the house by adding an east wing.
- 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.
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)
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
- enlargeable adjective
- enlargedly adverb
- enlargedness noun
- enlargingly adverb
- preenlarge verb (used with object)
- reenlarge verb
- unenlarged adjective
- unenlarging adjective
Etymology
Origin of enlarge
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enlargen, from Old French enlargir, enlarger. See en- 1, large
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.
I have lived its generosity, its pluralism, its capacity to absorb difference and be enlarged by it.
From Salon
Their analysis showed that pterosaurs had moderately enlarged brain hemispheres, a feature comparable to other dinosaur groups.
From Science Daily
Instead, ports are considering extending the life of old equipment by updating technology systems or enlarging cranes so they can load and unload larger containerships.
She also had an enlarged ovary and visible oviduct — an avian fallopian tube — suggesting she was getting ready for breeding, which typically happens in January or February.
From Los Angeles Times
‘This Is a Story,’ filled with enlarged plates and tables, cheeky chapels and flowing beards, has a charismatic presence.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
