increase
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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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
- increasable adjective
- increasedly adverb
- increaser noun
- nonincreasable adjective
- nonincrease noun
- preincrease noun
- proincrease adjective
- quasi-increased adjective
- reincrease verb
- superincrease verb (used with object)
- unincreasable adjective
- unincreased adjective
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”; crescent
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.
The increase in these orders — which omit transportation and defense — has topped 5% in the past 12 months and hit the highest level in three years.
From MarketWatch
The deal builds on a collaboration announced in 2024 when Traton and the U.S. startup agree to work together to increase development of level 4 autonomous driving systems.
And tariffs on Canada and Mexico, two of the country’s largest suppliers of cement, an essential ingredient of concrete, further increased prices on one of the project’s key materials, even among domestic providers, he said.
From Los Angeles Times
Make no mistake, your bank is cranking up credit card rates faster than any overall increase.
From Los Angeles Times
Housing costs in California are about twice the national average, according to the state Legislative Analyst‘s Office, which said prices have increased at “historically rapid rates” in recent years.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
