1
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
as the number of people with cell phones enlarges, more transmission towers will have to be built
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Relevance
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2
as in to expand
to make greater in size, amount, or number
with a new member of the family on the way, maybe we should consider enlarging the house
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3
as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
like a wild animal enlarged from a leghold trap, the freed prisoner raced about
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail
in your complaint, don't just say that your neighbor has been harassing you; enlarge on what you mean by that
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of enlarge
Tom Philp, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
Having succumbed to madness, Hopper’s character worships Kurtz, crediting him as a warrior poet who has enlarged his mind, among other superlatives.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025
If the exteriors were constrained to faithful re-creations, the interiors offered vessels for experimentation, with two-story volumes carved out of both homes, rear windows reconfigured or enlarged, and ceiling height added by raising the roof and digging into the basement.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2025
The heavy core of Theia sank deep into Earth, enlarging our planet's core.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlarge
Verb
There was broad expectation of another run at enlarging Shasta Dam as well as rewriting the meticulous daily management of CVP pumping operations in the Delta.
—Tom Philp, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
Having succumbed to madness, Hopper’s character worships Kurtz, crediting him as a warrior poet who has enlarged his mind, among other superlatives.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025
If the exteriors were constrained to faithful re-creations, the interiors offered vessels for experimentation, with two-story volumes carved out of both homes, rear windows reconfigured or enlarged, and ceiling height added by raising the roof and digging into the basement.
—Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2025
The heavy core of Theia sank deep into Earth, enlarging our planet's core.
—Paul Sutter, Space.com, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enlarge
Cite this Entry
“Enlarge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enlarge. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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