improve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
improves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improved,
past participle, past
-
improving
present participle
-
to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition.
He took vitamins to improve his health.
- Antonyms:
- worsen
-
to make (land) more useful, profitable, or valuable by enclosure, cultivation, etc.
-
to increase the value of (real property) by betterments, as the construction of buildings and sewers.
-
to make good use of; turn to account.
He improved the stopover by seeing a client with offices there.
verb (used without object)
-
improves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improved,
past participle, past
-
improving
present participle
-
to increase in value, excellence, etc.; become better.
The military situation is improving.
- Antonyms:
- worsen
-
to make improvements, as by revision, addition, or change.
None of the younger violinists have been able to improve on his interpretation of that work.
verb
-
to make or become better in quality; ameliorate
-
(tr) to make (buildings, land, etc) more valuable by additions or betterment
-
(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to achieve a better standard or quality in comparison (with)
to improve on last year's crop
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say improve?
To improve something is to bring it into a more desirable or excellent condition. How is improve different from the verbs ameliorate and better? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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improvabilitynoun
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improvablenessnoun
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improvernoun
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preimproveverb (used with object)
-
improvableadjective
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quasi-improvedadjective
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superimprovedadjective
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well-improvedadjective
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improvablyadverb
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improvinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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improvesimple
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improvessimple
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have improvedperfect
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has improvedperfect
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am improvingprogressive
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are improvingprogressive
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is improvingprogressive
-
have been improvingperfect progressive
-
has been improvingperfect progressive
Past
-
improvedsimple
-
had improvedperfect
-
was improvingprogressive
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were improvingprogressive
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had been improvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of improve
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English improuen, emprouen from Anglo-French emprouer “to turn (something) into profit,” derivative of phrase en prou “into profit,” equivalent to en ( see en- 1) + prou, Old French prou, preu from Late Latin prōde (est), by reanalysis of Latin prōdest “(it) is beneficial, of use,” with prōde taken as a neuter noun ( cf. proud); the sound v was made by association with prove, approve
Explanation
When you improve something, you make it better. For example, you can improve your harmonica playing with practice. Be happy when you see this word, because something is getting better — improving. Getting a tutor will usually improve your grades. Sleeping well improves your health and alertness. A haircut could improve your looks. Painters have to decide whether a painting is finished or if it can still be improved. Voters decide which candidate will improve the nation. Sometimes a sick patient will mysteriously improve. The opposite of improve is worsen or deteriorate.
Vocabulary lists containing improve
"Hitching a Ride"
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"Brothers in Hope"
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Excerpt from "Do Something!"
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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:
The police force has denied claims that it "covered up" the crimes, but vowed to improve the way it protects women from police-perpetrated domestic abuse.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
A more efficient chip can improve operating economics while a larger deployment consumes additional cash.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Berlant’s a tenured professor at the Make-‘Em-Laugh Institute, and “Parmesan” proves her research-driven thesis statement time and again: There’s no bad mood a good clown can’t improve.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
IVF does improve these numbers somewhat, but the decline is still steep at older ages.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
They doubted that a new chancellor—even one as popular as Hitler—would improve their lives.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
It might be the rare trade that improves both organizations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Doctors say his heart rate improves during her visit.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The researchers say these results provide a foundation for larger clinical trials that can directly test whether combining vitamin D analogs with chemotherapy or other cancer treatments improves survival.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
“One new finding from this study is that the ability to overcome academic difficulty improves when there’s a strong future point of view,” Feuer says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
“If your memory improves, I will expect—” Suddenly the Titan lord winced.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Beyond weight loss, intermittent fasting is often held up as a path to better health — from sharper mental clarity and improved insulin sensitivity to a longer life and cellular repair.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
This combination improved the treatment's ability to stimulate a broader antitumor response.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
It sees limited evidence that underlying issues facing ARB have improved materially, even as sales comparisons a year ago become a little easier from here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
On the test that followed, comprehension improved for both groups, but it was highest for the group whose conversation included the bilingual form.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Year after year, aided by improved magnetometers that detected metal objects at deeper locations than ever before, more and more of the sunken vessel was uncovered.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
That deal was officially "aimed at assisting the authorities in securing mining sites, improving tax collection mechanisms and curbing cross-border smuggling of minerals", the group's report added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
It may be a useful tool for some people — but it isn’t a magic wand for improving your health.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
People can continue improving their individual fitness and strength through training, even after the age when population averages begin to decline.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
A more direct snapshot of the past six years also shows things are improving.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Pacing back and forth between our chairs, I promised to stay up nights drilling my sums and improving my vocabulary.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
