in·crease | \ in-ˈkrēs 
, ˈin-ˌkrēs \
, ˈin-ˌkrēs \increased; increasing
Definition of increase
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to become progressively greater (as in size, amount, number, or intensity)
2 : to multiply by the production of young
increase
nounin·crease | \ ˈin-ˌkrēs , in-ˈkrēs \
, in-ˈkrēs \Definition of increase (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : the act or process of increasing: such as
a : addition or enlargement in size, extent, or quantity
2 : something that is added to an original stock or amount by augmentation or growth (such as offspring, produce, profit)
on the increase
: becoming greater (as in size, number, or amount) : increasing crime is on the increase
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Other Words from increase
Verb
increasable \ in-ˈkrē-sə-bəl , ˈin-ˌkrē- \ adjective
, ˈin-ˌkrē- \ adjectiveincreaser noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for increase
Synonyms: Verb
- accelerate,
- add (to),
- aggrandize,
- amplify,
- augment,
- boost,
- build up,
- compound,
- enlarge,
- escalate,
- expand,
- extend,
- hype,
- multiply,
- pump up,
- raise,
- swell,
- stoke,
- supersize,
- up
Synonyms: Noun
- accretion,
- accrual,
- addendum,
- addition,
- augmentation,
- boost,
- expansion,
- gain,
- increment,
- more,
- plus,
- proliferation,
- raise,
- rise,
- step-up,
- supplement,
- uptick
Antonyms: Verb
- abate,
- decrease,
- de-escalate,
- diminish,
- downsize,
- dwindle,
- lessen,
- lower,
- minify,
- reduce,
- subtract (from)
Antonyms: Noun
- abatement,
- decline,
- decrease,
- decrement,
- depletion,
- diminishment,
- diminution,
- drop-off,
- fall,
- falloff,
- lessening,
- loss,
- lowering,
- reduction,
- shrinkage,
- step-down
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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Without more federal aid, mortgage delinquencies may increase, placing greater pressure on mortgage servicers, Fitch said.
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Martin Z Braun, Bloomberg.com, "NYC’s Revenue Loss Less Than Feared as Property Taxes Gain," 13 Oct. 2020 The pace of early votes is poised to increase in the weeks leading up to Nov. 3, as deadlines begin to approach.
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Danny Dougherty, WSJ, "Mail Balloting Is Fueling Historic Early Voting in the 2020 Election," 13 Oct. 2020 That’s caused the average vacancy rate in downtown Minneapolis to increase, forcing many property managers to offer rent concessions and some discounts.
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Jim Buchta, Star Tribune, "Signs of 'financial stress' emerge in survey of Twin Cities rent payers," 13 Oct. 2020 The former vice president’s tax plan would increase taxes by more than $3 trillion over the next 10 years and kill more than 500,000 jobs, according to the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy think tank.
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Jay Heflin, Washington Examiner, "Biden tax hikes become more likely as Democratic Senate odds increase," 13 Oct. 2020 Hearings began this week, and if Barrett is confirmed to the court, conservative appointees would increase their majority to 6-3.
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Stephanie Wylie, Fortune, "Why a very conservative Supreme Court will be bad for business," 13 Oct. 2020 The average bill for water and sewer services for Fairfield residents is proposed to increase gradually, increasing by $8.66 per month by 2025.
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Sue Kiesewetter, The Enquirer, "Fairfield council considers raising water and sewer rates," 13 Oct. 2020 Percussive therapy is proven to increase range of motion, relieve pain, speed recovery, and promote healthy circulation.
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Popular Science, "Celebrate the 10.10 Shopping Festival with these 10 amazing deals," 12 Oct. 2020 The sorting center near Fournès would be smaller than a massive pick-and-pack warehouse, according to the Argan proposal, but would sharply increase local traffic, with over 1,400 delivery vans and trucks rumbling in and out daily.
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Liz Alderman, New York Times, "Are Amazon Jobs Worth 1,400 Loads of Traffic? French Region Is Split," 11 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The sharpest increase was a 32.25 degree rise in September, followed by 32.21 degree jump in August, then 32.20 spike in October over those decades.
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Mallory Moench, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area heat waves break records as California warms because of climate change," 16 Oct. 2020 The daily increase was a decline from the record 1,278 cases that were added to the state's tallies on Thursday.
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Andy Davis, Arkansas Online, "State adds 1,015 coronavirus cases, reports 20 additional deaths," 16 Oct. 2020 Looking at individual groups, the increase in the poverty rate has been largest among Black people (from 18.2 per cent, in June, to 22.8 per cent, in September) and people without a college education (from seventeen per cent to 21.5 per cent).
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John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "The Great Coronavirus Divide: Wall Street Profits Surge as Poverty Rises," 16 Oct. 2020 The increase in the number of individuals with mental health and addiction issues is another major issue.
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Ben Leonard, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "In race for Carroll County Circuit Court judge, Morton and Titus differ on criminal justice reform, addiction," 16 Oct. 2020 The increase in consumer support is timely, but might not be timeless.
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Jocelyn Noveck, chicagotribune.com, "Time’s Up study: Many who report harassment face retaliation," 15 Oct. 2020 The poverty study from the Universities of Chicago and Notre Dame also found that the poverty increase has been acute among minority communities and those who are less educated.
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Nihal Krishan, Washington Examiner, "Millions have fallen into poverty since federal aid lapsed," 15 Oct. 2020 That increase was roughly equal to the decline in the number collecting state benefits.
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Gillian Friedman, New York Times, "Unemployment Claims Rise Anew in Latest Sign of Economic Distress," 15 Oct. 2020 The payment increase will be effective January 2021.
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Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Social Security checks to increase by 1.3% in 2021," 15 Oct. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for increase
increase
verb English Language Learners Definition of increase
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to become larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
: to make (something) larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
increase
noun English Language Learners Definition of increase (Entry 2 of 2)
: the act of becoming larger or of making something larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
: the amount by which something is made larger or greater
See the full definition for increase in the English Language Learners Dictionary
increase
verbin·crease | \ in-ˈkrēs \
\increased; increasing
Kids Definition of increase
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to make or become greater
Skill increases with practice.
increase
nounin·crease | \ ˈin-ˌkrēs \
\Kids Definition of increase (Entry 2 of 2)
: an addition or enlargement in size, extent, or quantity
He received a pay increase.
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Time Traveler for increase
The first known use of increase was in the 14th century
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