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
After the game — with Duren’s choice of music playing in the background — Cunningham said the Pistons, now one victory away from their 60th win, came into the season wanting to improve on the previous season.
—
Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
McIlroy atoned for two bogeys with nine birdies, shooting a seven-under-par 65 to improve on his stellar 67 in the opening round.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Tiller told The Star that his goal this offseason was to improve on those things.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
For most of history, people barely improved on ancient Babylonians’ light sources, which remained expensive.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
The buds improve on the previous model with much better noise cancellation and upgraded woofers for better sound.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2026
Wait times at security checkpoints at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport improved on Sunday as TSA continues to deal with staff shortages, and immigration agents are filling in to assist.
—Tara Lynch, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
In the 2010s, Zach Ross, a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, wanted to improve on the quake-finding process.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
But the Mets need production from many beyond Lindor and Soto in order to improve on last year’s 83-79 record and return to the postseason.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
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Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
McIlroy atoned for two bogeys with nine birdies, shooting a seven-under-par 65 to improve on his stellar 67 in the opening round.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Tiller told The Star that his goal this offseason was to improve on those things.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
For most of history, people barely improved on ancient Babylonians’ light sources, which remained expensive.
—Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
The buds improve on the previous model with much better noise cancellation and upgraded woofers for better sound.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2026
Wait times at security checkpoints at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport improved on Sunday as TSA continues to deal with staff shortages, and immigration agents are filling in to assist.
—Tara Lynch, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
In the 2010s, Zach Ross, a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, wanted to improve on the quake-finding process.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
But the Mets need production from many beyond Lindor and Soto in order to improve on last year’s 83-79 record and return to the postseason.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Improve on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improve%20on. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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