augment
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make larger; enlarge in size, number, strength, or extent; increase.
His salary is augmented by a small inheritance.
- Synonyms:
- swell
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Music.
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to raise (the upper note of an interval or chord) by a half step.
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to double the note values of (a theme).
In the fugue's development the subject is augmented.
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Grammar. to add an augment to.
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Heraldry. to grant an augmentation to (a coat of arms).
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to make or become greater in number, amount, strength, etc; increase
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(tr) music to increase (a major or perfect interval) by a semitone Compare diminish
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(tr) (in Greek and Sanskrit grammar) to prefix a vowel or diphthong to (a verb) to form a past tense
noun
Usage
What does augment mean? To augment something is to add to it in a way that makes it bigger or better. The general sense of augment is used in a variety of contexts where something is literally or figuratively increased in size, number, shape, value, or in some other way. A person might augment their salary with an additional source of income. A material like metal might be augmented to make it stronger. A teacher might augment a course’s textbook with additional learning materials. The noun augmentation refers to the process of augmenting something or the thing that augments. Things that augment or things that are intended to augment can be described as augmentative. A machine or device can be described as augmentable when other parts can be added to it to improve it in some way or give it additional functionality. Augment is also used in much more specific ways in the context of music and grammar, but its general sense is much more commonly used. Example: We recently augmented our nonfiction collection with many new titles by authors from marginalized communities.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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augmentsimple
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augmentssimple
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have augmentedperfect
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has augmentedperfect
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am augmentingprogressive
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are augmentingprogressive
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is augmentingprogressive
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have been augmentingperfect progressive
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has been augmentingperfect progressive
Past
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augmentedsimple
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had augmentedperfect
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was augmentingprogressive
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were augmentingprogressive
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had been augmentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of augment
First recorded in 1375–1475; late Middle English au(g)menten, from Anglo-French, Middle French au(g)menter, from Late Latin augmentāre “to increase,” derivative of augmentum “an increase,” from aug(ēre) “to increase” (akin to eke 1 ) + -mentum -ment )
Explanation
Do you need to make something bigger, better, or stronger? Then you need to augment it. To augment is to increase the amount or strength of something. Maybe your bike isn't getting around very well on hills: the bike needs to be augmented with a better set of tires. People augment their computers and phones all the time, adding new gadgets and apps. They augment the storage space in their cars by buying roof racks. If the President decides to augment taxes, taxes are going up. When you see the word augment, think "More!"
Vocabulary lists containing augment
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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 Santa Barbara County Fire Department was working Tuesday to get approval from the state to augment staffing and pre-deploy resources, said Mike Gray, a public information officer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Two other books augment Ms. Crowther’s efforts to demythologize Monroe’s character and career, though one wouldn’t guess as much from their jacket art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
"We are going to augment facilities -- either by reconstruction, or construction of new jetties," he said, underlining that his service's mandate is to "touch every island".
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
"The gene-therapy approach in this study is a new avenue that can complement and potentially augment what will surely be a multi-disciplinary solution to one day regenerate human limbs."
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
To augment the small income from the service station, C.P. got a job as an unskilled maintenance worker at Duke University.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Everlab’s platform ingests and organizes documents and data from doctors, specialists and pathologists, compiling patient records that it augments with real-time data from users’ existing wearable devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
In other words, will AI be a force that replaces labor, or augments it?
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
In a funky rendition of “Oh Happy Day,” for instance, the director augments the Sweet Inspirations’ original backing vocals with the newly recorded voices of a gospel choir from Nashville.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
White’s 1987 book discusses how spaceflight augments one’s sense of interconnectedness with the rest of humanity.
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2025
“That’s amazing. My mother says they’re superhuman. Their second operation augments all their muscles and rewires their nervous system. And they’re so scary-looking, a lot of people just panic the first time they see one.”
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
Some jobs will be automated, others will be "augmented".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Smart glasses are becoming more popular as augmented reality and artificial intelligence tech becomes more advanced.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Social media company Snap showcased a pair of its $2,195 augmented reality glasses Tuesday, staking a claim in a race to reshape how people interact with computers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Certain jurisdictions may give the surviving spouse a right of up to 50% of the value of the marital-property portion of the augmented estate.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
At this point Joe greatly augmented my curiosity by taking the utmost pains to open his mouth very wide, and to put it into the form of a word that looked to me like “sulks.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Lewenstein believes AI’s true promise lies in augmenting, not automating, human capabilities.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025
On many of these songs, Ms. Case places her poetic narratives in a chamber-pop setting, with tasteful orchestrations augmenting guitar, piano, bass and drums.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025
These questions point to an exciting potential for developing more adaptive training frameworks that not only focus on teaching AI but also on augmenting human capabilities to form future human-AI teams.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024
“We view AI as a great tool for augmenting, enhancing and supplementing our current operations,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2024
Diminishing and augmenting chords Wagner may have made his own, but they are all over Liszt’s daring, dark harmony.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
