augment

1 of 2

verb

aug·ment ȯg-ˈment

augmented; augmenting; augments

Synonyms of augment next

transitive verb

: to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense

The impact of the report was augmented by its timing.

: supplement

She took a second job to augment her income.

grammar : to add an augment to (a verb form) (see augment entry 2)

intransitive verb

: to become augmented

augmenter noun

or augmentor

ȯg-ˈmen-tər

augment

2 of 2

noun

aug·ment ˈȯg-ˌment

grammar

: a vowel prefixed or a lengthening of the initial vowel to mark past time especially in Greek and Sanskrit verbs

Choose the Right Synonym for augment

increase, enlarge, augment, multiply mean to make or become greater.

increase used intransitively implies progressive growth in size, amount, or intensity

his waistline increased with age

; used transitively it may imply simple not necessarily progressive addition.

increased her landholdings

enlarge implies expansion or extension that makes greater in size or capacity.

enlarged the kitchen

augment implies addition to what is already well grown or well developed.

the inheritance augmented his fortune

multiply implies increase in number by natural generation or by indefinite repetition of a process.

with each attempt the problems multiplied

Example Sentences

Verb … a former member of Brunet's team, Jean-Renaud Boisserie of Berkeley, is in the Middle Awash seeking to augment the animal fossil record—particularly that of hippopotamuses. —

Rex Dalton, Nature, 5 Jan. 2006 These reserve units will soon be augmented by full-time Maritime Safety and Security Teams. The first of these teams was formed on July 3; a dozen more are supposed to be created within the next three years. —

David Helvarg, Popular Science, September 2002 The sale of its shares in such companies has helped augment its cash reserves from $1.7 billion to $2 billion. Call it a rainy-day fund—something that other dot-coms never had. But the move also suggests that even Yahoo has lost faith in the once boundless promise of Internet companies. —

Brad Stone, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2001 The money augmented his fortune. Heavy rains augmented the water supply.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For decades, organizations have used contingent labor to reactively fill in temporary gaps (e.g., employee absences) or augment the permanent workforce during peak periods. —

Amy Bogan, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023 David Autor, an economist at MIT who studies the impact of AI on labor, says it’s too early to say whether this new generation of AI technology will augment human work or replace it. —

Will Knight, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2022 Related: Morocco pulls off another World Cup upset, defeating Belgium 2-0 The Canadian Premier League, launched three years ago, will augment the talent pool just as MLS has done for the Americans. —

John Powers, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2022 The security guards will augment the police presence in areas where officers are busiest, said Police Chief Fred Armijo. —

Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2022 During the past year, Constant Contact made two important product launches, one involving text messages, and the other for event marketing, to augment the core e-mail business. —

Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Jan. 2023 The package includes funding for additional satellite communications terminals and service to augment the Starlink terminals that have kept Ukraine connected since Russia invaded. —

Arkansas Online, 23 Dec. 2022 To augment its own production, Novo contracted with a single manufacturer, Catalent Inc., to fill the drug into syringes. —

Denise Roland, WSJ, 4 Dec. 2022 It's not yet known whether NASA will buy two final IROSAs to augment all eight of the station's original blankets. —

William Harwood, CBS News, 26 Nov. 2022

Noun

Some companies, like FlightAware, augment government data with their own sources of real-time flight information. —

Justin Ling, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2022 According to Tomasello, sounds were then added to augment and expand this language of gestures. —

Madelaine Böhme, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2020 Coal fired power stations that also provide some electricity are unreliable due to aging infrastructure that constantly breaks down, while the country’s solar potential is yet to be fully developed to meaningfully augment supply. —

Farai Mutsaka, ajc, 28 Nov. 2022 Since the rollout of Twitter Blue appeared to augment uncertainty around the identity of users, the podcast hasn’t returned to the topic. —

Sarah Mcbride, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Nov. 2022 Tuned's #FillerNation explores the growing pressure to augment and enhance, thanks to beauty influencers on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. —

Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2022 Decision intelligence technology aims to support, augment and automate business decisions. —

Pascal Bornet, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2022 Apple has increasingly relied on services to augment hardware sales in an environment in which device upgrades have become pricier and less frequent. —

Arkansas Online, 25 Oct. 2022 Apple has increasingly relied on services to augment hardware sales in an environment where device upgrades have become pricier and less frequent. —

Mark Gurman, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'augment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.