supercharge

[soo-per-chahrj]

verb (used with object)

supercharged, supercharging 

1. to charge with an abundant or excessive amount, as of energy, emotion, or tension.

2. to supply air to (an internal-combustion engine) at greater than atmospheric pressure.

3. pressurize.

supercharge

/ ˈsuːpəˌtʃɑːdʒ /

verb

1. to increase the air intake pressure of (an internal-combustion engine) with a supercharger; boost

2. to charge (the atmosphere, a remark, etc) with an excess amount of (tension, emotion, etc)

3. to apply pressure to (a fluid); pressurize

Word History and Origins

Origin of supercharge¹

First recorded in 1760–70; super- + charge

Example Sentences

Investors who leverage their bets with borrowed money supercharge gains in good times but get crushed in bad ones.

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At the same time, there’s healthy debate over whether the same phenomenon is also making wet periods wetter, as warmer air can hold more moisture, potentially supercharging storms.

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With the artificial-intelligence trade supercharging valuations, investors may feel uneasy about putting money to work when the stock market is at near-record highs.

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It is part of a dramatic transformation of Russia’s education system that gained pace after the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 but was supercharged by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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Anthropic has said it hopes to use AI to supercharge cybersecurity defenses.

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