elaborate (on)

Definition of elaborate (on)next
1
as in to exaggerate
to add to the interest of by including made-up details my friend tends to elaborate on his hiking experiences, turning an ordinary walk in the woods into a hair-raising adventure

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2
as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail the candidate for governor refused to elaborate on how she would balance the state's budget

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for elaborate (on)
Verb
  • Attorneys who represent officers that have sued the department over whistleblower retaliation dismiss the claim by Chief Jim McDonnell and others that some cops are exaggerating their claims in pursuit of a big payday.
    — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Over 80 million American adults hide their religious disbelief or exaggerate their faith.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Neil Carleton, a cancer biologist and first-year resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that breast tumors can develop and grow differently in older patients than in younger ones because of hormone levels and inflammation.
    — Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Just Douglas padding around in his socks, still as slim, handsome, and charming as ever.
    — Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The sort that wear padded, deep blue gilets with crisp white shirts.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Good Time Charlie has Haddad shifting into a study of many characters at once and expanding in scale.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The National Hurricane Center's official forecast is not one specific line, but rather a cone of uncertainty that expands with time, up to five days out.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • To supplement government aid during the surge, the Minneapolis Foundation collected millions of dollars from corporations based in the city.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The river water will supplement the Prettyboy and Loch Raven reservoirs and serve parts of Baltimore City and County.
    — Ellie Buckheit, Baltimore Sun, 3 Oct. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Elaborate (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elaborate%20%28on%29. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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