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enlarge

/ɪnˈlɑːrdʒ/·verb

Animated scene
Fig. 1 — A little framed photograph — a sun over a green hill — sits no bigger than a stamp.
01Definition

To enlarge is to make something bigger — most often a concrete thing you can point to: a photograph, a room, a diagram. It comes from Old French enlargier, 'to make large', and it keeps that sense of a size increased deliberately, usually by an outside hand rather than by growth from within. That is the quiet line between it and expand: a business expands of its own momentum, but you enlarge a print. In the phrase 'enlarge on', it means to say more about a point.

02In use
  • iShe had the photograph enlarged until the faces were finally clear.
  • iiThe museum plans to enlarge its main hall rather than expand onto a new site.
  • iiiLet me enlarge on that point — I only sketched it a moment ago.
03Collocations
  • enlarge a photograph
  • enlarge the scope
  • enlarge on a point
  • greatly enlarge
  • an enlarged image

Family enlargement (noun) · enlarged (adjective)

04Relations

=expand, magnify, extend, broaden, amplify

≠shrink, reduce, diminish

06TOEFL & IELTS

In TOEFL and IELTS, enlarge is best kept for concrete, physical increases (enlarge a photo, a building, a diagram) and for the formal 'enlarge on/upon a point' in academic writing. For growth in scale, scope, or an economy, expand or grow read more naturally. Enlarge is chiefly transitive — you enlarge something — so avoid 'the company enlarged' where 'expanded' is wanted. The noun is enlargement.

07Asked
What does enlarge mean?
To enlarge is to make something bigger, especially a concrete object you can point to — a photograph, a room, a diagram. It is chiefly a transitive verb: you enlarge a thing, usually on purpose. It comes from Old French enlargier, 'to make large', and the noun is enlargement.
What is the difference between enlarge and expand?
Enlarge is to increase the size of a concrete thing, usually by an outside hand — you enlarge a photo, a room, a diagram. Expand is to spread out in size or scope, often of its own accord — gas expands, a business expands. Rough rule: you enlarge an object; something expands on its own.
What is the difference between expand, extend, enlarge and widen?
Four near-neighbours with different edges: expand spreads out in every direction or in scope; extend makes longer in one dimension or in time; enlarge makes a concrete thing bigger overall; widen makes something broader from side to side. A firm expands, a deadline is extended, a photo is enlarged, a road is widened.
What does 'enlarge on' or 'enlarge upon' mean?
To enlarge on a point is to say more about it — to add detail, examples, or reasons. It is a formal phrasal verb, close to 'expand on' and 'elaborate', and it is useful in academic writing and speaking when you are asked to develop an idea rather than just state it.
Is enlarge transitive or intransitive?
Chiefly transitive — you enlarge something; it does not usually enlarge by itself. An intransitive use exists but is rare and literary ('the crowd enlarged'), where most writers prefer 'grew' or 'expanded'. In the scene above a pointer drags the picture bigger: it is made larger from outside, not growing on its own.
What is another word for enlarge?
Expand, magnify, extend, broaden and amplify are all close, but each fits a different case: magnify makes something look bigger through a lens, expand spreads out in scope, broaden makes wider. Enlarge stays best for concrete, deliberate size — a photo, a room, a print made physically bigger.