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Definition of magnify verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

magnify

verb
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they magnify
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/
he / she / it magnifies
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪz/
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪz/
past simple magnified
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪd/
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪd/
past participle magnified
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪd/
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪd/
-ing form magnifying
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪɪŋ/
 
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪɪŋ/
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  1. magnify something (to/by something) to make something look bigger than it really is, for example by using a lens or microscope synonym enlarge
    • bacteria magnified to 1 000 times their actual size
    • an image magnified by a factor of 4
    • The picture shows the insect’s head magnified ten times.
    Topics Engineeringc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • greatly
    • highly
    phrases
    • magnify something 50, 100, etc. times
    See full entry
  2. magnify something to make something bigger, louder or stronger
    • The sound was magnified by the high roof.
    • The dry summer has magnified the problem of water shortages.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • greatly
    • highly
    phrases
    • magnify something 50, 100, etc. times
    See full entry
  3. magnify something to make something seem more important or serious than it really is synonym exaggerate
    • The daring of his exploits had been hugely magnified by constant telling.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • greatly
    • highly
    phrases
    • magnify something 50, 100, etc. times
    See full entry
  4. Word Originlate Middle English (in the senses ‘show honour to (God)’ and ‘make greater’): from Old French magnifier or Latin magnificare, based on Latin magnus ‘great’. The current senses date from the mid 17th cent.
See magnify in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee magnify in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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noun
 
 
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