| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | destroy; consume |
| Synonyms: | annihilate, break, bulldoze, burst, crack, crush, decimate, defeat, devastate, devour, dilapidate, dismantle, eat, flatten, gobble up, knock down, level, obliterate, overthrow, overturn, pulverize, put away, put in toilet, raze, ruin, sink, smash, take apart, take out, tear down, torpedo, total*, trash*, undo, wax, wipe off map, wrack, wreck |
| Antonyms: | build, construct, fix, produce, rebuild, repair, restore |
| Main Entry: | enlarge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make or grow bigger; increase |
| Synonyms: | add to, aggrandize, amplify, augment, beef up, blow up, boost, broaden, build, bulk, develop, diffuse, dilate, distend, elaborate, elongate, embroider, exaggerate, expand, expatiate, extend, give details, grow, grow larger, heighten, inflate, jack up, jazz up, lengthen, magnify, make larger, mount, multiply, pad, pyramid, rise, slap on, snowball, spread, stretch, swell, upsurge, wax, widen |
| Antonyms: | abridge, compress, condense, curtail, decrease, diminish, lessen, lower, reduce, shrink |
| Main Entry: | excel |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be superior; surpass |
| Synonyms: | be good, be master of, be proficient, be skillful, be talented, beat, best, better, cap, come through, eclipse, exceed, go beyond, go to town, improve upon, make it, outdo, outrival, outshine, outstrip, pass, predominate, shine, show talent, surmount, take precedence, top, transcend, wax |
| Antonyms: | be inferior, fail |
| Main Entry: | expand |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | extend, augment |
| Synonyms: | aggrandize, amplify, beef up, bloat, blow up, bolster, broaden, bulk up, burgeon, detail, develop, diffuse, dilate, distend, elaborate, embellish, enlarge, explicate, fan out, fatten, fill out, grow, heighten, hike, increase, inflate, lengthen, magnify, mount, multiply, mushroom, open, open out, outspread, pad, piggyback, prolong, protract, puff up, pyramid, slap on, soup up, spread, spread out, stretch, stretch out, swell, tack on, thicken, unfold, unfurl, unravel, unroll, upsurge, wax, widen |
| Antonyms: | abbreviate, contract, lessen, lower, shorten, shrink |
| Main Entry: | fatten |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | grow or make bigger; nourish |
| Synonyms: | augment, bloat, broaden, build up, coarsen, cram, distend, expand, feed, fill, gain weight, increase, overfeed, plump, put flesh on, put on weight, round out, spread, stuff, swell, thicken, thrive, wax |
| Antonyms: | thin, undernourish |
| Main Entry: | finish |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | put a coating on; perfect |
| Synonyms: | coat, develop, elaborate, face, gild, lacquer, polish, refine, smooth, stain, texture, veneer, wax |
| Main Entry: | flog |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | whip, lash |
| Synonyms: | beat, belt, cane, castigate, chastise, ferule, flagellate, flax, flay, give the cat o'nine tails, hide, hit, larrup, lather, leather, paddle, scourge, spank, strike, stripe, tan one's hide, thrash, trounce, wax, whack, whale, whomp, whop |
| Main Entry: | flourish |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | grow, prosper |
| Synonyms: | amplify, arrive, augment, batten, be on top of heap, bear fruit, bloom, blossom, boom, burgeon, come along, develop, do well, expand, flower, get ahead, get on, go, go great guns, hit it big, increase, live high on hog, make out, multiply, score, succeed, thrive, wax |
| Antonyms: | cease, fail, hinder, languish, stunt |
| Main Entry: | gather |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | gain, increase |
| Synonyms: | build, deepen, enlarge, expand, grow, heighten, intensify, rise, swell, thicken, wax |
| Notes: | garner means to amass or acquire or reap; gather means to assemble or get together |