increase
Americanverb (used with object)
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increases,
present (3rd person singular)
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increased,
past participle, past
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increasing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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increases,
present (3rd person singular)
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increased,
past participle, past
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increasing
present participle
noun
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increases
plural
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growth or augmentation in numbers, size, strength, quality, etc..
the increase of crime.
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the act or process of increasing.
- Synonyms:
- expansion, enlargement
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that by which something is increased.
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the result of increasing.
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produce of the earth.
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product; profit; interest.
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Obsolete.
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multiplication by propagation; production of offspring.
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offspring; progeny.
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verb
noun
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the act of increasing; augmentation
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the amount by which something increases
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increasing, esp becoming more frequent
Usage
What does increase mean? To increase is to become greater or more in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will increase as demand increases. As a verb, increase is also used in an active way in which someone or something is doing the increasing, as in I’m going to increase my hours at work or These sunglasses increase visibility. Increase can also be used as a noun referring to a rise or growth in something, as in We are experiencing an increase in applicants. It can also refer to the amount by which something has increased, as in The increase was $5,000 per year. The words increased and increasing can both be used as adjectives, as in an increased appetite or increasing sales. The opposite of increase as both a verb and a noun is decrease. Example: My boss increased my workload, which led to an increase in stress.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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increasernoun
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nonincreasenoun
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preincreasenoun
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superincreasenoun
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reincreaseverb
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preincreaseverb (used with object)
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superincreaseverb (used with object)
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increasableadjective
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nonincreasableadjective
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proincreaseadjective
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quasi-increasedadjective
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unincreasableadjective
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unincreasedadjective
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increasedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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increasesimple
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increasessimple
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have increasedperfect
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has increasedperfect
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am increasingprogressive
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are increasingprogressive
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is increasingprogressive
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have been increasingperfect progressive
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has been increasingperfect progressive
Past
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increasedsimple
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had increasedperfect
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was increasingprogressive
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were increasingprogressive
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had been increasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of increase
First recorded in 1370–1395; Middle English incresen, encresen, from Anglo-French encres-, Middle French encreis(s)-, stem of encreistre, from Latin incrēscere, equivalent to in- in- 2 + crēscere “to grow”; see crescent
Explanation
The noun increase indicates growth of something that gets bigger in number or volume. When used as a verb, it means the act of growing or gaining more. However it's used, it refers to something that has gotten bigger. Anything that can add on can increase. You can increase your speed to go faster, increase your strength by working out, increase your knowledge by studying, and increase your circle of friends by meeting more people. You can work harder to see an increase of profits, and you can prevent an increase in your electric bill by turning out unnecessary lights. And now you’ve increased your vocabulary by learning a new word!
Vocabulary lists containing increase
"Siberian Survivors" and "Tigers in the Wild"
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Arithmetic, List 1
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Unit 17, Lesson 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Because the analysis focused on one geographic region and lacked a comparison group without strokes, it cannot establish whether the same trends apply nationwide or identify the factors responsible for the increase.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
“The story of semiconductors and memory is the same every four years,” Hayes says, explaining: “You have a shortage, they increase the capacity, competition comes on board just in time for demand to go down.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Several issuers have maturities due in 2027-2028, which could increase default pressure, analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
"There's been a tendency for an increase in adults and the elderly coming to the general clinic," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I wasn’t trying to get a promotion before. And now I am. Which would mean a big pay increase that will help all of us.”
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
“But further increases in yields could begin to challenge the very growth resilience that has allowed markets to absorb tighter financial conditions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The retreat in wholesale trade in August after increases the previous two months was led by a drop in sales of vehicles and parts, the first fall after six consecutive increases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The results revealed widespread increases in cancer incidence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
While the largest absolute increases are expected in already vulnerable areas, including India's Garhwal and Kumaon regions and Nepal, the greatest relative increase is projected on the Tibetan Plateau.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
College graduates have received steady pay increases over the past two decades, while the pay of everyone else has risen little more than the rate of inflation.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Networks sales in North America also increased slightly, while overall sales were supported by higher licensing revenues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Other factors, including differences in patients' underlying health conditions, could help explain the increased risk observed in the study.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
A clear marker of this mixed picture is English language arts: The percent of students scoring proficient or advanced increased by 0.5 of a percentage point to 49.3%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
TotalEnergies’ refining output increased 10% over the quarter, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
After glancing at him once or twice, in an increased state of smouldering ferocity, I said,—
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
That in turn, de Croo warned, had tightened space for developing countries to access the capital they needed to combat the shocks, with rising interest rates feeding into increasing debt payments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The reading reflected increasing prices for services, things like airfares, hotels, truck rentals, and heating and electricity.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
It rose even faster in volume terms, increasing more than fivefold during the same period, according to the European Commission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Cancer rates are increasing among adults of different ages in England, but a new study has uncovered a particularly concerning pattern among younger people.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
We course through the ground, steadily increasing in speed.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
