improve on
verb
variants
or improve upon
improved on or improved upon; improving on or improving upon; improves on or improves upon
: to do better than
It's hard to improve on last year's record.
Examples of improve on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The natural next step is to improve on last season, and that starts Saturday in Houston.
—
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Seattle is highly aggressive and efficient on the bases, and Robles’ underlying tools — plus speed, strong defense (especially in a corner), and improved on-base skills — fit that organizational approach.
—Derek Vanriper, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
With new offensive assets and the recent hire of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, expectations are high for Texas to improve on last year's season, the first in three years that UT failed to make the College Football Playoffs.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
The team is looking to improve on a forgettable 2025 season (5-13-16) that landed Atlanta United near the bottom of the MLS barrel.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Backed by grants from the Space Studies Institute, later prototypes improved on the concept, showing that a mass driver only 520 feet (160 meters) long could boost material off the lunar surface.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Sometimes there's no improving on a classic.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
If the Nuggets want someone who at least gives them a chance to improve on defense, Jones is not that guy.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
Ruud, for his part, doesn't improve on his second run after an error coming off the first jump.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
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Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Seattle is highly aggressive and efficient on the bases, and Robles’ underlying tools — plus speed, strong defense (especially in a corner), and improved on-base skills — fit that organizational approach.
—Derek Vanriper, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
With new offensive assets and the recent hire of defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, expectations are high for Texas to improve on last year's season, the first in three years that UT failed to make the College Football Playoffs.
—Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
The team is looking to improve on a forgettable 2025 season (5-13-16) that landed Atlanta United near the bottom of the MLS barrel.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Backed by grants from the Space Studies Institute, later prototypes improved on the concept, showing that a mass driver only 520 feet (160 meters) long could boost material off the lunar surface.
—Leonard David, Space.com, 18 Feb. 2026
Sometimes there's no improving on a classic.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
If the Nuggets want someone who at least gives them a chance to improve on defense, Jones is not that guy.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
Ruud, for his part, doesn't improve on his second run after an error coming off the first jump.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improve on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improve%20on. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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