1
as in to expand
to make greater in size, amount, or number
we have to increase the number of season-ticket holders if the local sports franchise is to survive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rise
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the number of Internet users increased exponentially during the 1990s
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in boost
something added (as by growth)
shortly after he turned 12, he had a sudden height increase
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accumulation
the act or process of becoming greater in number
the increase in the number of students enrolled at the school was very gradual
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of increase
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Say yes to defining the terms that increase joy!
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Rob Wile, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
In 2018, Apple saw a huge increase in AirPod sales after a lackluster launch just two years before.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for increase
Verb
So it was decided this past offseason that the 29-year-old righty would lose weight, increase his strength and explosiveness and see what comes from his faster body movement and arm speed.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Say yes to defining the terms that increase joy!
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
Medical care services saw no increase in prices on the month, while used car prices declined.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
In 2018, Apple saw a huge increase in AirPod sales after a lackluster launch just two years before.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for increase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for increase
Verb
-
Its owners have expanded their impact and influence to the nearby community to limit development and maintain its cultural identity, which includes restoring and caring for the historic stone buildings from the salt trade era.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
This will expand affordable rental options and enable home repairs, solar installations and energy upgrades.—
Chase Jordan
April 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Between rising costs, vanishing support systems and nonstop scrutiny, parenthood, as Ej Dickson describes in One Bad Mother, has started to feel less like a choice than a trap.—
Micah Barkley,
Bloomberg,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Vance’s top dog status could spur rivals in both parties to portray him as the face of an unpopular war that voters blame for rising inflation and the all-important price of gas at the pump.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The upside in the Neo isn't really about a near-term boost in device sales.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Agosto said Rodriguez started to drink Alani Nu because of posts on social media that advertised it with wellness and health benefits, as well as an energy boost.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Adept at separating the unseen from the seen, Lemann here chronicles his family’s accumulation of wealth, whatever the moral costs or compromises, and their subsequent acculturation and partial deracination.—
Brenda Wineapple,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The fan guards inside the walk-in cooler had an accumulation of dust.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Within weeks, Ponson augmented his tasks as a fishing boat captain with a part-time job at Celebration Church in New Orleans.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
This was the first Dragon launch from SLC-40 since the addition of a crew access arm to support Dragon launches from more than one Space Coast pad and augment normal launches from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Such mutations can accelerate a tumor’s growth, making the cancer harder and harder to treat and sometimes, as in this instance, claiming the patient’s life.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Netanyahu backed the bill despite warnings of an international backlash accelerating Israel’s diplomatic isolation in Europe and beyond.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fastball command that Niebla described as his superpower has accompanied the gains in velocity.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Statewide, some of the largest job gains during January occurred in the population-heavy urban centers of Southern California.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Perhaps the easiest way to start an argument online is to post a video of a mother raising her child.—
Micah Barkley,
Bloomberg,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Political parties were disincentivized from forming coalitions—which might have unified the anti-Orbán vote—by incrementally raising the threshold required for alliances to enter Parliament.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Increase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/increase. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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