improve

verb

im·​prove im-ˈprüv How to pronounce improve (audio)
improved; improving

transitive verb

1
a
: to enhance in value or quality : make better
b
: to increase the value of (land or property) by making it more useful for humans (as by cultivation or the erection of buildings)
c
: to grade and drain (a road) and apply surfacing material other than pavement
2
: to use to good purpose
3
archaic : employ, use

intransitive verb

1
: to advance or make progress in what is desirable
2
: to make useful additions or amendments
improvable adjective
improver noun
Choose the Right Synonym for improve

improve, better, help, ameliorate mean to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard.

improve and better are general and interchangeable and apply to what can be made better whether it is good or bad.

measures to further improve the quality of medical care
immigrants hoping to better their lot

help implies a bettering that still leaves room for improvement.

a coat of paint would help that house

ameliorate implies making more tolerable or acceptable conditions that are hard to endure.

tried to ameliorate the lives of people in the tenements

Examples of improve in a Sentence

This operation will greatly improve her chances of survival. The advertising campaign has improved sales. Maybe we'll buy a house when our financial situation improves. Her writing has improved since the beginning of the school year. The company has been having steadily improving sales.
Recent Examples on the Web In late February, the Biden administration enacted an executive order to give officials more authority to improve cybersecurity at U.S. ports. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 11 Mar. 2024 Nothing is ever guaranteed, but who doesn’t want to improve their chances? High-Quality Casino Games: The best payout casinos are filled to the brim with thousands of quality real money slots, live casino games, classic virtual tables, and specialty titles. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Adaptive is working on a way to improve on a process that is known as reinforcement learning from human feedback, or RLHF. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 The trend in profits Investors ultimately buy stocks based on expectations that a company's financial condition will improve, typically focusing on profits. The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 Photo Gallery Readying for Ramadan Hamas, which portrayed its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel as a battle for Muslim rights at Al-Aqsa, seeks such an event now in the hopes of engaging Israeli forces on new fronts and improving its leverage in Gaza cease-fire talks. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Then there are the mid-tier areas, 40% to 60%, like the far northwest corner of Colorado, which is struggling with the loss of coal production, and improving south-central counties like Pueblo, Huerfano and Fremont, along with Gunnison and Rio Grande counties. Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Smelling salts do not appear to improve performance in any sport. USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 Doing so will enable you to gain a competitive edge, deliver more value and improve customer experience with your brand. Phil Portman, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'improve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English improuen, emprouen, from Anglo-French emprouer to make profit from, from French en- + pru, prou advantage, from Late Latin prode — more at proud

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of improve was in 1509

Dictionary Entries Near improve

Cite this Entry

“Improve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improve. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

improve

verb
im·​prove im-ˈprüv How to pronounce improve (audio)
improved; improving
1
: to make or become better
genetics helps us improve plants
when economic conditions improve
2
: to increase the value of (land or property) by making improvements
3
: to make good use of
improved their time by studying German
4
: to make useful additions or changes
improvable adjective
improver noun

More from Merriam-Webster on improve

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