Meaning & use
to make larger
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Meaning
phrasetransitive
to increase the size, amount, or scale of something
Grammar: Takes an object after 'make': make the image larger. The object usually comes between 'make' and 'larger'.
Patterns
- make something larger
- make something larger than something
We need to make the font larger so everyone can read it.
The company made the parking lot larger by buying the land next door.
Can you make this photo larger without losing quality?
Common combinations
- make something larger than life
- The director made the hero larger than life.
- make the image larger
- Click here to make the image larger.
- make the room larger
- They knocked down a wall to make the room larger.
- make the problem larger
- Ignoring the complaint will only make the problem larger.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enlarge
- This is one formal verb that means the same thing; it is often used for pictures and documents.
- expand
- This fits when something grows in size, volume, or scope, but it is less natural for a simple physical size change like a font.
- increase
- This is better for amounts and numbers than for physical size.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: to make larger or make it big?
to make larger vs make it big
This informal phrase means to become very successful, not to increase the size of an object.
Practice
Choose the most natural sentence.
Choose one answer.
In this pattern, the object comes before the adjective: make + object + larger. 'More large' is not the normal comparative, and 'largely' means 'mostly', not 'bigger'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to make larger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.