enrich
Americanverb (used with object)
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to supply with riches, wealth, abundant or valuable possessions, etc..
Commerce enriches a nation.
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to supply with abundance of anything desirable.
to enrich the mind with knowledge.
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to add greater value or significance to.
Art enriches life.
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to adorn or decorate.
a picture frame enriched with gold.
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to make finer in quality, as by supplying desirable elements or ingredients.
to enrich soil.
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Physics. to increase the proportion of a valuable mineral or isotope in (a substance or material).
The fuel was enriched with uranium 235 for the nuclear reactor.
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Nutrition.
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to restore to (a food) a nutrient that has been lost during an early stage of processing.
to enrich flour with thiamine, iron, niacin, and riboflavin.
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to add vitamins and minerals to (food) to enhance its nutritive value.
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verb
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to increase the wealth of
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to endow with fine or desirable qualities
to enrich one's experience by travelling
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to make more beautiful; adorn; decorate
a robe enriched with jewels
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to improve in quality, colour, flavour, etc
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to increase the food value of by adding nutrients
to enrich dog biscuits with calcium
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to make (soil) more productive, esp by adding fertilizer
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physics to increase the concentration or abundance of one component or isotope in (a solution or mixture); concentrate
to enrich a solution by evaporation
enrich a nuclear fuel
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unenrichingadjective
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enrichernoun
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enrichedadjective
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enrichmentnoun
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enrichinglyadverb
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self-enrichingadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have enrichedperfect
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has enrichedperfect 3rd person singular
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are enrichingprogressive
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have been enrichingperfect progressive
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enrichessingular 3rd person
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is enrichingprogressive 3rd person singular
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enrichingparticiple
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am enrichingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been enrichingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had enrichedperfect
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were enrichingprogressive plural
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had been enrichingperfect progressive
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was enrichingprogressive singular
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enrichedparticiple
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enrichedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of enrich
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enrichen, from Old French enrichir; equivalent to en- 1 + rich
Explanation
To enrich something is to make it richer, or to improve the quality of it. You play the lottery because it might enrich your bank account; you play ping-pong to enrich your quality of life. Regardless of the sense it is used in, the key to enrich is the word rich (you can almost think of it as the verb form of the adjective). So to enrich something is to make it rich, richer, or just plain better. Enrich always needs an object: You can’t visit a wax museum just to enrich, but you can go to enrich your life. Verbs that enrich include improve, enhance, cultivate, better, and develop.
Vocabulary lists containing enrich
Lyndon B. Johnson on "The Great Society" (1964)
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List 1
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Obama's State of the Union Address, 2014
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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.
A spoonful can deepen a pot of lentils, enrich a mushroom skillet or give a weeknight stir-fry the impression that someone spent considerably more time thinking about it than they actually did.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
The goal, Tafazoli said, is to enrich Coronado’s culture and give people a respite in an anxiety-ridden time.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
He rejected criticism that temporary waivers on purchases of Russian and Iranian oil served to enrich Tehran, saying the aim was to lower energy costs.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
But there’s another reason to push back on the “right” to enrich: There is no such right.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
We consider George Washington a statesman because he spent tax money on widely admired programs and did not enrich himself as president.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
