Definition of INCREASES

Choose the Right Synonym for increase

Verb

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

Examples of increase in a Sentence

Verb

The house increased in value. She increased her wealth substantially.

Noun

an increase in life expectancy The employees expect some increase in wages. The construction will probably cause some increase in traffic delays. The report showed increases of between 20 and 30 percent. an increase of three dollars

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The nation’s largest retailer has been facing increasing pressure to change its gun policies by gun control activists, employees and politicians after the El Paso shooting and a second unrelated shooting in Dayton, Ohio that killed nine people. — Anne D’innocenzio, BostonGlobe.com, "Walmart to stop selling handgun ammunition," 3 Sep. 2019 His remarks come amid Trump increasing U.S. tariffs further on Chinese imports, which are ultimately paid by U.S. businesses and, in turn, are reflected in higher prices for American consumers. — Fortune, "Zara Counters Social Media Claims Its Workers Back Hong Kong Protests," 3 Sep. 2019 In other words, just by preferring fancy songs, birds could have changed the evolution of their brains, increasing their capacity to learn. — Cristina Robinson, The Conversation, "Complex birdsongs help biologists piece together the evolution of lifelong learning," 3 Sep. 2019 According to Swinney, football has changed over time thanks to the growing number of television stations, increased entertainment options for the youth and specialization of other sports forcing football to keep up. — Khadrice Rollins, SI.com, "Clemson's Dabo Swinney Says Fortnite and iTunes Are at the Heart of Football's Evolution," 3 Sep. 2019 The nation's largest retailer has been facing increasing pressure to change its gun policies by gun control activists, employees and politicians after the El Paso shooting and a second unrelated shooting in Dayton, Ohio that killed nine people. — Anne D'innocenzio, Anchorage Daily News, "Walmart to end handgun sales in Alaska following mass shootings," 3 Sep. 2019 That’s because the drying process concentrates the sugar contained within the fruit or veg itself, increasing the sugar content overall while diminishing the water and fiber content. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "The Real Health Benefits of Cranberries, According to a Registered Dietitian," 3 Sep. 2019 Given the wealth of formulas promising increased attention and efficiency, the political similarities among many of their endorsers may just be happenstance. — Richard Cooke, The New Republic, "The conservative commentariat’s love affair with nootropics," 3 Sep. 2019 The latest round took effect on Sunday, increasing the costs that Americans pay for $112 billion worth of goods imported from China, among them the shoes and sandals designed and sold by Ms. Phoenix’s company, Xero Shoes. — Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, "Make Shoes in U.S., or Pay Tariffs? A Footwear Company Seeks a Third Option," 2 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In 2018, 4,239 firearms were discovered at checkpoints across the country, a 1.7 percent increase from the 3,957 discovered in 2017. — Maria Lovato, BostonGlobe.com, "New Hampshire man stopped at Logan with loaded gun in carry-on; no charges filed," 3 Sep. 2019 In 2015, 17 percent of newlyweds in the United States were part of a mixed-race couple, a significant increase from 3 percent in 1967, according to the Pew Research Center. — The Washington Post, oregonlive, "Owner of Miss. wedding venue apologizes for rejecting interracial couple on ‘Christian belief’," 3 Sep. 2019 Thirty nine of the 100 highest-grossing movies in 2018 had a female in a leading or co-leading role, an increase from 33 films in 2017 and a substantial jump from 20 films in 2007, the year that USC first started crunching the numbers. — Brent Lang, chicagotribune.com, "Hollywood blockbusters featured record number of lead roles for women, people of color in 2018," 3 Sep. 2019 More than 700 people have been shot this year in Baltimore, a 23 percent increase from this time last year. — Mckenna Oxenden, baltimoresun.com, "‘He was loyal no matter what. I’m really, really heartbroken.’ Quadruple shooting in East Baltimore leaves friends mourning dead teen," 31 Aug. 2019 So far in 2019, Brazil reported 83,000 fires, a 77 percent increase from the same period last year, according to the country's National Institute for Space Research (Inpe). — Fox News, "Amazon fires spur Brazil to ban most burning for 60 days," 30 Aug. 2019 However, since Trump took office, his EPA has issued 85 exemptions to oil refineries to stop blending ethanol in their fuel — a staggering increase from previous administrations. — NBC News, "'Your EPA went too far': Farmers hit hard by Trump EPA's new ethanol rules are fuming," 29 Aug. 2019 Founders produced 563,700 barrels of beer last year, an increase from 193,000 barrels in 2014. — Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, "Founders Brewing Co. to sell majority stake to Mahou San Miguel," 29 Aug. 2019 The figure represents a 541 percent increase from the previous planning cycle, when the city was asked to plan for 254 units. — David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, "National City, Imperial Beach object to proposed housing quotas," 28 Aug. 2019

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