increase
Americanverb (used with object)
-
increases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
increased,
past participle, past
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increasing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
increases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
increased,
past participle, past
-
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:
From January 2025 to this October, Tier 1 rates went from 22 cents per kilowatt hour to 27 cents, a 23% increase in a year and a half.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
That marks an increase of 156,000 people from the end of last year, and accounts for roughly 3.5 percent of Japan's total population, according to calculations based on government estimates.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
FAA chief Bryan Bedford has said he was authorized legally to withhold 2.8% of the increase as an incentive to get productivity gains from controllers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
What we witnessed was part of a pattern being repeated day after day, as settler outposts here increase.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“That’ll increase our manpower by a third, so I’m grateful. Do you like animals, Chase?”
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Recent increases in sewer and trash fees, plus steadily rising water rates and higher summer water use are partly to blame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The chances of seeing a storm increases from late summer and throughout autumn with the peak of the season arriving in our winter months.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Students protested nationwide over conditions in schools on Friday, along with a teachers' union demanding wage increases and new hires.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Their strategy of “looking through” tariff-related price increases and supply crimps, amid robust demand, is now questioned by Fed officials themselves.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Curious, Scoob increases the volume as the somber-looking newscaster dude starts talking.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
There are also longer term signals for increased rainfall and storminess later in autumn and early winter in the UK.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
She encouraged residents to take care of their neighbors during increased raid activity by offering rides to those afraid to drive or use public transit, delivering groceries or walking their neighbors’ children to school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
His government had already increased payments under Bolsa Familia, Brazil's flagship welfare program for low-income families, before the first round.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
A September survey from the National Association of Home Builders found the cost of labor had increased a median of 4.2% from the previous year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
And as the cold increased, so did the special temptation of concentration-camp life: the temptation to think only of oneself.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Deputy Louise Doublet said: "To have that taken away at a time when the cost of living is still increasing I think has been quite hard for some families".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The prosecution initially requested 150 years' imprisonment for each of the accused before later increasing that to 210 years.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Technical progress has benefited the customer without increasing the provider’s profit dollars on that sale.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently pledged to look into the phenomenon of electromagnetic sensitivity, as increasing numbers of people claim they are being sickened by radio waves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
He wanted to discuss a trouble spot of increasing concern to the United States: a mountainous, heavily forested country winding more than a thousand miles along the coast of Southeast Asia.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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