increase

American  

[in-krees, in-krees] / ɪnˈkris, ˈɪn kris /

verb (used with object)

• increases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• increased,
  past participle,  past
• increasing
  present participle

1. to make greater, as in number, size, strength, or quality; augment; add to.

   to increase taxes.

   Synonyms:

   prolong, extend, expand

   Antonyms:

   decrease

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verb (used without object)

• increases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• increased,
  past participle,  past
• increasing
  present participle

1. to become greater, as in number, size, strength, or quality.

   Sales of automobiles increased last year.

   Antonyms:

   wane, lessen, contract, abate, decrease

2. to multiply by propagation.

   Synonyms:

   swell, grow, expand, propagate

3. to wax, as the moon.

noun

• increases
  plural

1. growth or augmentation in numbers, size, strength, quality, etc..

   the increase of crime.

2. the act or process of increasing.

   Synonyms:

   expansion, enlargement

3. that by which something is increased.

4. the result of increasing.

5. produce of the earth.

6. product; profit; interest.

7. Obsolete.

   1. multiplication by propagation; production of offspring.

   2. offspring; progeny.

increase British  

/ ɪnˈkriːsɪdlɪ /

verb

1. to make or become greater in size, degree, frequency, etc; grow or expand

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noun

1. the act of increasing; augmentation

2. the amount by which something increases

3. 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

• increaser
  noun
• nonincrease
  noun
• preincrease
  noun
• superincrease
  noun
• reincrease
  verb
• preincrease
  verb (used with object)
• superincrease
  verb (used with object)
• increasable
  adjective
• nonincreasable
  adjective
• proincrease
  adjective
• quasi-increased
  adjective
• unincreasable
  adjective
• unincreased
  adjective
• increasedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• increases
  plural

Participles

• increasing
  present
• increased
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• increase
  simple
• increases
  simple
• have increased
  perfect
• has increased
  perfect
• am increasing
  progressive
• are increasing
  progressive
• is increasing
  progressive
• have been increasing
  perfect progressive
• has been increasing
  perfect progressive

Past

• increased
  simple
• had increased
  perfect
• was increasing
  progressive
• were increasing
  progressive
• had been increasing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will increase
  simple
• will have increased
  perfect
• will be increasing
  progressive
• will have been increasing
  perfect progressive

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

increase increases increased increasing

“The investment boom is so strong that imports of capital goods increase despite their tariffs,” the economists wrote in a paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

"So, their marked increase in supercentenarians may provide important clues as to how the immune system is maintained in extreme old age."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

The haste of the transaction would seem to have given the buyers superior leverage, yet Walter negotiated a 25% increase on the $10 billion he spent on the team last October.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

This is an increase of 5% from 2024.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

And he had never tried to increase it, not even when photography was so easy and cheap.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

In June, Cook told The Wall Street Journal that “price increases are unavoidable” due to the surging costs of memory and storage chips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

High-risk HPV increases the risk of cervical cancer, but it does not mean a woman will automatically develop it.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Holding a student-loan balance increases your debt-to-income ratio, which is a comparison of how much you owe each month to how much you earn.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

Its discovery increases the number of recognized species in the genus Acanthosaura to 23.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

Disorder increases with time because we measure time in the direction in which disorder increases.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Management increased promotions during the second quarter to stay competitively-priced as the industry faced demand weakness, Executive Chair Ed Stack said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Many Gurkhas disagree and want their pensions increased.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The transaction would have increased his holding from 12.5 percent to 37.5 percent of the company's capital, significantly boosting his influence over the empire built by his father.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

Overall revenue for the three months through July 31 increased 11% to C$10.54 billion, exceeding analyst expectations of C$9.98 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The cobbles increased the pull on the ox and the cart began to slow down.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Worse, it may be losing control of the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. escorts increasing quantities of oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

A leading aid group said Monday that migrants crossing the Mediterranean and rescue ships that help them face increasing levels of threat and harassment from Libyan groups.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

With rates increasing again, builders will likely need to continue with these sweeteners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

However, Beaumont said the government needed to address the wider business rates system and exempt more smaller firms by increasing the rates relief threshold for small businesses.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Those squeaky hinges were the answer to everything, they explained the inexplicable, they wiped out the contradiction between Gebu’s innocent daytime behavior and his mysteriously increasing wealth.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Related Words

• advance
• boost
• broaden
• build
• build up
• deepen
• develop
• double
• enhance
• enlarge
• escalate
• expand
• extend
• further
• heighten
• intensify
• multiply
• raise
• reinforce
• rise