exaggerate
verb
ex·ag·ger·ate
ig-ˈza-jə-ˌrāt 
exaggerated; exaggerating
1
: to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth : overstate
a friend exaggerates a man's virtues—
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison2
: to enlarge or increase especially beyond the normal : overemphasize
: to make an overstatement
Examples of exaggerate in a Sentence
The book exaggerates the difficulties he faced in starting his career.
It's impossible to exaggerate the importance of this discovery.
He tends to exaggerate when talking about his accomplishments.
He exaggerated his movements so we could see them more clearly.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump has long been known for his tendency to exaggerate crowd sizes at his rallies and public events, a pattern that dates back to his very first days in office.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Another hurdle is getting buy-in from red states, where many politicians have espoused the view that hate crimes and domestic terrorism concerns are exaggerated by liberals to police conservative thought.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 31 May 2025
Business Implications Company leaders need not pay little attention to political arguments about whether the policies are good or bad; both proponents and opponents of a policy tend to exaggerate the effects of policies.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
This summer, don’t just get dressed—exaggerate the look.
—Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for exaggerate
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Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 May 2025
Another hurdle is getting buy-in from red states, where many politicians have espoused the view that hate crimes and domestic terrorism concerns are exaggerated by liberals to police conservative thought.
—Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 31 May 2025
Business Implications Company leaders need not pay little attention to political arguments about whether the policies are good or bad; both proponents and opponents of a policy tend to exaggerate the effects of policies.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
This summer, don’t just get dressed—exaggerate the look.
—Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for exaggerate
Cite this Entry
“Exaggerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exaggerate. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exaggerate
verb
ex·ag·ger·ate
ig-ˈzaj-ə-ˌrāt
exaggerated; exaggerating
: to enlarge a fact or statement beyond what is actual or true
exaggeratedly
adverb
-ˌrāt-əd-lē
exaggeratedness
noun
-nəs
Etymology
from Latin exaggeratus "exaggerate," from exaggerare, literally, "to heap up"
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