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

Greenwood backs Burnham's proposal to increase pay in the sector and suggests it will help attract more staff.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of what goes on in the economy, is projected to rise 2%-plus, compared with a meager 0.5% increase in the first three months of the year.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

“We are well positioned to support our customers’ needs and are continuing to make significant investments to increase output to meet strong and growing demand,” Chief Executive Phebe Novakovic said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Hot nights can make it harder to fall asleep, increase waking during the night and leave people feeling less rested the next day.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

This, too, helped to increase the morale of the people of the Soviet Union.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

As a result, firms that have announced big increases in spending on AI have not always been welcomed with the same enthusiasm by investors.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Typically, increases of 2% to 3% in consumer spending are normal when the economy is doing well.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

A university compact with the state ties its funding increases to enrollment growth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Chief Executive Heidi Petz said Sherwin-Williams implemented price increases to offset raw material inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

During the inflationary phase, the universe increases its size by a very large amount.

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

Crude input to refineries increased by 271,000 barrels a day to 17.3 million barrels a day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

In experiments with rats, the researchers found that eating nutrient-rich foods increased the release of acetylcholine in neurons connected to the hippocampus.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

In recent years, Riverside and Merced have increased their numbers by going after students who met UC’s admissions requirements but did not include those campuses in their UC fall applications.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The price to go to a film, theater or concert in June increased 3.6% from a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

I talked to Grandma Sadie last week, though, and she told me that when she turned fifteen, the range of her Flash increased.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

An increasing number of centres have been built around the world in recent years to provide the computing power needed to train and run AI systems.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

However, they can absorb large amounts of oil during cooking, increasing their fat and calorie content.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Digital services have been robust, in part owing to the increasing contribution from AI-related activity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"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

In addition to increasing Americans’ fears, World War II had a profound effect upon our family.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

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