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
Derived Forms
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enlargednessnoun
-
reenlargeverb
-
preenlargeverb (used with object)
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enlargeableadjective
-
unenlargedadjective
-
unenlargingadjective
-
enlargedlyadverb
-
enlarginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enlargesimple
-
enlargessimple
-
have enlargedperfect
-
has enlargedperfect
-
am enlargingprogressive
-
are enlargingprogressive
-
is enlargingprogressive
-
have been enlargingperfect progressive
-
has been enlargingperfect progressive
Past
-
enlargedsimple
-
had enlargedperfect
-
was enlargingprogressive
-
were enlargingprogressive
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had been enlargingperfect progressive
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."
Vocabulary lists containing enlarge
myPerspectives 7.3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: en-, em-
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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.
See Examples For:
The team also discovered that EXO1 works alongside another protein called MRE11 to enlarge DNA gaps and generate dangerous DNA breaks.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026
Adenomyosis, is a condition often compared to endometriosis and occurs when where endometrial-like tissue grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, causing it to thicken and enlarge.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
Nothing has been done in the meantime to enlarge our shipbuilding capacity, or entice a larger or more skilled workforce.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
He has used the novel tack of publicly proclaiming his lack of independence to enlarge himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Overnight Aureliano Segundo became the owner of land and livestock and he barely had time to enlarge his overflowing barns and pigpens.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
In his office, the commanding officer enlarges an image showing a swarm of speedboats carrying out such an attack.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Far from distorting democracy, this diversity of substantial support often enlarges the range of ideas in public debate.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
When WUS-D1 is turned on early in the formation of wheat flowers, it enlarges the developing floral tissue, allowing extra female structures such as pistils or ovaries to form.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2025
"Being part of Nato brings us on an equal footing with all the other allies. It enlarges the possibilities for Finnish companies in the defence sector and beyond."
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025
The cell enlarges, begins making new DNA at a great rate, and turns into what is termed, appropriately, a blast.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
The issues were discussed during an enlarged meeting of the ruling party's central military commission on Thursday, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Finishes were changed, an enlarged primary suite was completed, an additional guest suite was added, and the guesthouse was completely remodeled, listing agent Greer previously explained.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
The resulting replicas can be rotated, enlarged, and viewed from any angle, allowing scientists to study the specimen without risking damage to the original skeleton.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
Norwegian said it will consider a secondary listing in Stockholm following closing to reflect the enlarged group’s broader Nordic shareholder base and customer footprint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
The major business of the evening, in all likelihood, was an agreement to recalculate Virginia's debt and corresponding share of the enlarged federal debt.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
If true, that would mean aging fat tissue could continue growing not just by enlarging existing cells, but by constantly adding new ones.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026
But if your elastic wrapping paper has a pattern on it, stretching it this way will distort the pattern, enlarging some parts and not others.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
Today, Philly Shipyard is central to President Trump’s goal of reviving American shipbuilding and enlarging the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Biden has designated six monuments and expanded four, including enlarging the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument near Los Angeles by nearly a third earlier this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
I feel my eyes getting rounder and rounder, the pupils enlarging like an owl’s: for an hour I’ve been looking at slides, yellowy, sometimes unfocused slides of white marble women with flat-topped heads.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
