increment

American  

[in-kruh-muhnt, ing-] / ˈɪn krə mənt, ˈɪŋ- /

noun

1. something added or gained; addition; increase.

2. profit; gain.

3. the act or process of increasing; growth.

4. an amount by which something increases or grows.

   a weekly increment of $25 in salary.

5. one of a series of regular additions.

   You may make deposits in increments of $500.

6. Mathematics.

   1. the difference between two values of a variable; a change, positive, negative, or zero, in an independent variable.

   2. the increase of a function due to an increase in the independent variable.

---

increment British  

/ ˈɪnkrɪmənt /

noun

1. an increase or addition, esp one of a series

2. the act of increasing; augmentation

3. maths a small positive or negative change in a variable or function. Symbol: Δ, as in Δ x or Δ f

---

Other Word Forms

• incremental adjective

Etymology

Origin of increment

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin incrēmentum an increase, equivalent to incrē ( scere ) to grow ( increase ) + -mentum -ment

Example Sentences

“If it falls down below a certain increment, we have to pause projects,” said J.R.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

News of Yoon's salary increase has drawn criticism among South Koreans, some of whom say they cannot believe he is still getting paid - let alone getting a increment - while he is suspended.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025

That means even a small increment in food prices, even a 1% bump up, can translate into significantly higher profits for retailers.

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2024

Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, plunges a tool called an increment borer into the dead tree’s trunk.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2023

His speed in designing and building the apparatus was more impressive than the results he obtained, which matched Swann’s expectations and therefore advanced science by a tiny increment, if at all.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik