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

---

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

---

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

An unexplained increase invites confusion, said Stephen Juneau, an economist at Bank of America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The company has forecast second-quarter operating profits to increase 1,800 per cent on last year.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

"If it demonstrates that culturally contextualised storytelling can materially increase engagement in India, then expect F-1, the NBA, the NFL, the UFC, La Liga and the Premier League to deepen their India-first content strategies."

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

That could mean that there is an increase next year in the cost of the premiums, though it’s not yet clear what those increases may look like.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

The 586th added “the need to increase vigilance” to their Party staff meeting agenda.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Reserve Bank of Australia Gov. Michele Bullock warned that inflation remains too high, adding that further interest-rate increases can’t be ruled out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

If the Fed increases rates, the reason Warsh gives could determine which direction markets go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

That could mean that there is an increase next year in the cost of the premiums, though it’s not yet clear what those increases may look like.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Breeding speed also increases with warmer conditions, allowing adult jellyfish to reproduce in large numbers, creating so-called blooms.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

The direction of time in which a computer remembers the past is the same as that in which disorder increases.

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

The restaurant chain reported higher profit in its second quarter as increased customer traffic from menu innovation and marketing efforts drove revenue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

With measures such as the court hearing at the laboratory, increased surveillance and intelligence use, the Nigerian authorities are adamant they can rise to the challenge.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

According to Grissom, some of the increased demand can be attributed to changes in work requirements for CalFresh recipients.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The US aerospace giant scored an eight percent increase in revenues to $24.6 billion on increased commercial plane deliveries and higher volume in defense, space and security.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

His use of an alias also increased the difficulty of tracking him down.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

"With major tech companies increasing their AI infrastructure investments, additional supply requests continue to mount," the company said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The partnership still remains in force, but in such a scenario of uncertainty, increasing investment in tennis makes strategic sense, say experts.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

And anyone serious about increasing black and Hispanic enrollment might consider the record of high-performing charters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

That has the ironic consequence of increasing the forecasted return of the stock market relative to the bond market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Mrs. Peters nudged her way past with increasing urgency.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Related Words

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