enlargement

noun

en·​large·​ment in-ˈlärj-mənt 

en-

1

: an act or instance of enlarging : the state of being enlarged

2

: a photographic print larger than the negative that is made by projecting the negative image through a lens onto a photographic printing surface

Examples of enlargement in a Sentence

Symptoms include enlargement of the lymph nodes.

The plans call for an enlargement of the company's offices.

Recent Examples on the Web

The book’s central assertion is that NATO enlargement after the Cold War did not just threaten Russia but also violated Western pledges against such a step. —Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2025

And this is a paradox that Putin has been the best salesman of the NATO enlargement and also the enlargement processes of the European Union. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025

Alpha-blockers are sometimes taken to control symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition that causes enlargement of the prostate gland. —Karen Berger, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 28 Mar. 2025

Russia's invasion, by this diagnosis, was a response to the enlargement of NATO over the years. —Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

enlargement

noun

en·​large·​ment in-ˈlärj-mənt 

1

: an act or instance of enlarging : the state of being enlarged

2

: a photographic print made larger than the negative

Medical Definition

enlargement

noun

en·​large·​ment in-ˈlärj-mənt 

: an act or instance of enlarging : the state of being enlarged

enlargement of the heart