improve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
improves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improved,
past participle, past
-
improving
present participle
-
to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition.
He took vitamins to improve his health.
- Antonyms:
- worsen
-
to make (land) more useful, profitable, or valuable by enclosure, cultivation, etc.
-
to increase the value of (real property) by betterments, as the construction of buildings and sewers.
-
to make good use of; turn to account.
He improved the stopover by seeing a client with offices there.
verb (used without object)
-
improves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
improved,
past participle, past
-
improving
present participle
-
to increase in value, excellence, etc.; become better.
The military situation is improving.
- Antonyms:
- worsen
-
to make improvements, as by revision, addition, or change.
None of the younger violinists have been able to improve on his interpretation of that work.
verb
-
to make or become better in quality; ameliorate
-
(tr) to make (buildings, land, etc) more valuable by additions or betterment
-
(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to achieve a better standard or quality in comparison (with)
to improve on last year's crop
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say improve?
To improve something is to bring it into a more desirable or excellent condition. How is improve different from the verbs ameliorate and better? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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improvabilitynoun
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improvablenessnoun
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improvernoun
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preimproveverb (used with object)
-
improvableadjective
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quasi-improvedadjective
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superimprovedadjective
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well-improvedadjective
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improvablyadverb
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improvinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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improvesimple
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improvessimple
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have improvedperfect
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has improvedperfect
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am improvingprogressive
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are improvingprogressive
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is improvingprogressive
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have been improvingperfect progressive
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has been improvingperfect progressive
Past
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improvedsimple
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had improvedperfect
-
was improvingprogressive
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were improvingprogressive
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had been improvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of improve
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English improuen, emprouen from Anglo-French emprouer “to turn (something) into profit,” derivative of phrase en prou “into profit,” equivalent to en ( see en- 1) + prou, Old French prou, preu from Late Latin prōde (est), by reanalysis of Latin prōdest “(it) is beneficial, of use,” with prōde taken as a neuter noun ( cf. proud); the sound v was made by association with prove, approve
Explanation
When you improve something, you make it better. For example, you can improve your harmonica playing with practice. Be happy when you see this word, because something is getting better — improving. Getting a tutor will usually improve your grades. Sleeping well improves your health and alertness. A haircut could improve your looks. Painters have to decide whether a painting is finished or if it can still be improved. Voters decide which candidate will improve the nation. Sometimes a sick patient will mysteriously improve. The opposite of improve is worsen or deteriorate.
Vocabulary lists containing improve
"Hitching a Ride"
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"Brothers in Hope"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Excerpt from "Do Something!"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They found that disorder can improve stability in two main ways.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Zoopla's executive director Richard Donnell says affordability needs to improve.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“The same shock that undermines the AI investment case could improve hyperscaler credit metrics.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Yes, there could be sharp, countertrend rallies, but these breadth indicators will not improve to buy signals until there are at least several days of positive breadth.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
“If anyone would know how to improve your condition, the teachers at Swanburne will. Upon my arrival, I will consult with my colleagues there, and together we shall come up with a...”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
With the nonleague victory, JSerra improves to 4-1, while Bishop Amat falls to 4-1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Some of the latest aircraft feature cockpit windows that are also curved, to make the plane more streamlined, which improves fuel efficiency.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Supplies will grow by 2% as recycling of the metal improves, while the lack of investor desire to hold platinum will weigh on global demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Researchers are now investigating whether SET or other proteins that suppress PP2A can be targeted safely and whether doing so improves the effectiveness of standard glioblastoma therapies.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Wolves wouldn’t find them interesting. Tell me what you’ve been watching on TV. We aren’t allowed TV unless a show improves our souls.”
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
The researchers then applied the improved dating approach to 64 previously published plague genomes and 11 newly sequenced genomes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The new findings suggest engineers might be able to create different or improved behaviors by deliberately varying the shapes, sizes, orientations, and physical properties of those units.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
A significant widening in profit margin—due to improved efficiency and the strengthening zloty against the dollar—also helped headline profit figures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Experts have noted that lithium battery safety has improved dramatically in the years since it was built.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Enter Sosin, with his supposedly new and improved interest rate swap model—even though Drexel Burnham was not at the time a market leader in interest rate swaps.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
“Moreover, we think the forces supporting nominal growth remain powerful, including robust capital spending, improving productivity, and heightened geopolitical investment,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Borges, with a buy rating on the company, cited Azure cloud acceleration and improving AI unit economics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
This could be the moment for Tuchel to start to further integrate Liam Delap, who is improving at new club Nottingham Forest and has yet to make a senior England appearance.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
King/Drew needs to keep improving to reach the top four in the City playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
When it comes to improving the clarity of a sentence, you can nearly always argue that one should go in; you can nearly always argue that one should come out.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
