magnify

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magnify

  • /ˈmaɡnɪfaɪ/ UK
  • /ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/ US

Where it comes from

From Middle English magnifien, from Middle French magnifier, from Latin magnificāre, from magnificus.

verb magnifies · magnifying · magnified · magnifie

  1. transitive To praise, glorify (someone or something, especially God). For they herde them speake with tonges, and magnify God.

    Similar: exalt, extol, laud, aggrandize, applaud, enthrone, appraise, belaud, bepraise, commend, cry up, eulogize

  2. transitive To make (something) larger or more important. But through the oligopoly, charcoal fuel proliferated throughout London's trades and industries. By the 1200s, brewers and bakers, tilemakers, glassblowers, pottery producers, and a range of other craftsmen all became hour-to-hour consumers of charcoal. This only magnified the indispensable nature o
  3. transitive To make (someone or something) appear greater or more important than it is; to intensify, exaggerate.
  4. transitive To make (something) appear larger by means of a lens, magnifying glass, telescope etc. Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that.
  5. intransitive, obsolete, slang To have effect; to be of importance or significance. My Governess […] told him I was continually eating some Trash or other. […] But this magnified but little with my Father.

Translations

Every language

verb to make larger

Españolmagnificar
日本語拡大する kakudai suru, 大きくする ōkiku suru, 広げる hirogeru
Portuguêsmagnificar, ampliar
Françaisagrandir
Deutschvergrößern
Italianoingrandire, amplificare, ingigantire
Ελληνικάμεγεθύνω megethýno
Românămări
Русскийувели́чивать uvelíčivatʹ, увели́чить uvelíčitʹ

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MLA

"magnify." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/magnify. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

magnify. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/magnify

Chicago

"magnify." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/magnify.

BibTeX
@misc{magnify_2026,
  title = {magnify},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/magnify},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}