To increase the apparent size of (an object), especially by means of a lens, instrument, or device. To increase the volume of (sound):"Canyons magnified the thunder"(John Vernon).
To make more intense or extreme: High winds magnified the danger.
To cause to appear greater, more important, or more extreme than is in fact the case: Her mistakes were magnified in the tabloid press. See Synonyms at exaggerate.