verb · neutral
magnify
/ˈmægnɪfaɪ/MAG·ni·fy
Band 5-6task2speakingtask1
to make something appear larger or more important than it is
Examples
“The microscope magnifies tiny organisms so we can study them.”
“Media coverage can magnify small disagreements into big scandals.”
“Don't magnify the problem; stay calm and check the facts.”
Band 8 sentence
“If media outlets constantly highlight minor flaws, they can magnify public distrust beyond what the evidence justifies.”
Collocations
- magnify an image
- magnify differences
- magnify a problem
Word family
magnify verbmagnification nounmagnified adjective
Common mistakes
to make the problem bigger→to magnify the problem
magnify about the results→magnify the results
Say it for a higher band
5make bigger→6increase→7+magnify
Synonyms
exaggerate
Easily confused
exaggerate
“He tends to exaggerate his achievements.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -ify
Learn it with its set