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
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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"E-Readers Catch Younger Eyes and Go in Backpacks"
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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.
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
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
As these cysts enlarge and multiply, they damage the surrounding tissue and limit the organs' ability to function.
From Science Daily • Nov. 19, 2025
When I enlarge 1 of the pictures under the hurt tab, I’m surprised to see it’s Maddie.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
