augment

play

verb aug·ment \ ȯg-ˈment \

Definition of augment

transitive verb

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

The impact of the report was augmented by its timing.

2 :supplement

She took a second job to augment her income.

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

intransitive verb

:to become augmented

—

augmenter

or augmentor play \-ˈmen-tər\ noun

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Examples of augment in a Sentence

… 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 of augment from the Web

Quick passes to a slot receiver, maybe behind a pulling tackle, can augment, or even replace, a running game.

— adam kilgore, chicagotribune.com, "Slot receivers are more important to NFL offenses than ever, but their salaries haven't caught up," 16 Aug. 2017
The power of Regulus in the earth sign of Virgo during the eclipse of August 21 will be augmented by the many outer planets that will soon be entering earth signs during the next 3 years.

— rebecca gordon, Harper's BAZAAR, "What the Upcoming Eclipse Means for Donald Trump and His Presidency," 10 Aug. 2017
Lake Station plans to purchase a used $15,000 ambulance to augment its service following concerns voiced by Hobart and Portage over the high volume of mutual aid calls from Lake Station residents.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Lake Station buys used ambulance from Zionsville," 18 July 2017
Syms’s art is fully and delightfully multidisciplinary, encompassing sculpture, photography, film, augmented reality, publishing, and performance.

— jenna wortham, Bon Appetit, "This Conceptual Artist Probably Lifts Heavier Than You," 13 July 2017
Zymergen is one of several companies with the same goal: harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to augment—or even replace—the role of humans in the scientific process.

— john bohannon, Science | AAAS, "A new breed of scientist, with brains of silicon," 5 July 2017
The Kaby Lake Core i3 lineup tends to have higher base clock speeds, but Intel’s chips only offer two processor cores augmented by hyperthreading.

— brad chacos, PCWorld, "AMD quietly reveals Ryzen 3 chip details with Ryzen Pro's launch," 29 June 2017
Scott said the goal is to develop a breeding population in San Diego that may one day be used to augment efforts in Africa aimed at saving the penguins from extinction.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego Zoo gets ready to open $68 million Africa Rocks exhibit," 25 June 2017
The surge units are meant to augment the service provided by the fire and EMS companies.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Contracts OK'd to start transition to paid, county EMS," 23 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of augment

Middle English, from Anglo-French augmenter, from Late Latin augmentare, from Latin augmentum increase, from augēre to increase — more at eke

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

augment Synonyms

Synonyms

accelerate, add (to), aggrandize, amplify, increase, boost, build up, compound, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, hype, multiply, pump up, raise, swell, stoke, supersize, up

Antonyms

abate, decrease, de-escalate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, lessen, lower, minify, reduce, subtract (from)

Related Words

boom, jump, skyrocket, spike; bump (up), ratchet (up) also rachet (up); blow up, dilate, distend, inflate; draw out, elongate, flesh (out), lengthen, prolong, protract, stretch; develop, enhance, heighten, intensify, magnify; complement, supplement; beef (up), reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen; maximize; accumulate, amass, collect; follow up, parlay

Near Antonyms

abbreviate, abridge, curtail, shorten; compress, condense, constrict, contract; cut back, retrench

Synonym Discussion of augment

increase, enlarge, augment, multiply mean to make or become greater. increase used intransitively implies progressive growth in size, amount, or intensity