Home UK English increase

Meaning of increase in English:

increase

Pronunciation /ɪnˈkriːs/ /ˈɪŋkriːs/

See synonyms for increase

Translate increase into Spanish

verb

  • Become or make greater in size, amount, or degree.

    no object ‘car use is increasing at an alarming rate’
    • ‘we are aiming to increase awareness of social issues’
    • ‘They had the choice of increasing the size of the dairy herd or changing the system completely.’
    • ‘The operators are reducing the amount they pay out and increasing the amount they take in.’
    • ‘The core of the movement has been increasing in size and in depth of knowledge.’
    • ‘There comes a point at long distance that the helical starts increasing the size of the groups.’
    • ‘In some cases, peaks could be obtained by increasing the amount of leaf material used.’
    • ‘The ordinary fan is continually forced to part with ever increasing amounts of money.’
    • ‘At first she worked less than a full day and then increased the amount of time at her job.’
    • ‘Police put this down to increased awareness and confidence in the way it is handled.’
    • ‘The proposal was aimed at increasing the number of organs available for transplant.’
    • ‘The geometry on this racquet aids the beginner by increasing stability and power.’
    • ‘The colour of the energy beam changed from green to bright red as the power increased.’
    • ‘Intensity of the job has increased and so has the number of patients going through the system.’
    • ‘By the following day, the amount of food in the feeding spots will have increased again.’
    • ‘Inequality in our society is increasing and for those at the bottom things are getting worse.’
    • ‘His ideas have been ripped off for years and years, and with increasing frequency.’
    • ‘Historical records of solar activity indicate that solar radiation has been increasing since the late 19th century.’
    • ‘Yet, instead of increasing as predicted, air pollutants have dramatically declined.’
    • ‘A new sleeping pill that increases dreaming sleep improves memory capacity, according to the results of new research.’
    • ‘The tall buildings increase wind drag on the city, resulting in vertical velocities - essentially a boiling action - that can enhance rainfall.’
    • ‘The only practical, long-term solution to increasing lamb survival on both an individual flock basis and on an industry-wide basis is through selection.’
    grow, get bigger, get larger, become greater, enlarge, expand, swell
    add to, make larger, make bigger, make greater, augment, supplement, build up, enlarge, expand, extend, raise, multiply, elevate, swell, inflate
    View synonyms

noun

  • A rise in the size, amount, or degree of something.

    ‘an increase of 28.3 per cent’
    • ‘some increase in inflation is expected’
    • ‘No money was available to cover pay rises, and if increases were given jobs could be lost.’
    • ‘The union has asked for the increase to counter the rise in council tax and house prices in the city.’
    • ‘This scenario would probably give rise to gradual increases in geothermal gradient.’
    • ‘My bill arrives at its percentage increase by averaging the increases on four items.’
    • ‘He went on to say that there had been a gentle increase in the church activities.’
    • ‘There are no signs of an increase in cyclone activity elsewhere around the globe.’
    • ‘It is also believed that an increase in sunspot activity can have an affect on pole reversal.’
    • ‘He also wants to set minimum wage increases in line with inflation if he gets in office.’
    • ‘Unlikely to be more than inflationary increases to cigarettes, beer and wine duties.’
    • ‘The past year has seen an increase in the amount of guitar-based music in the charts.’
    • ‘Etes say that the increase in the size of the show owes a great deal to the change of venue.’
    • ‘The figures might go up but no one will know for sure if it is a real increase or a perceived increase.’
    • ‘Pensioners were furious that tiny pension increases were being swallowed up by huge tax rises.’
    • ‘In the UK, further volume growth is likely to be the main driver behind increases in sales.’
    • ‘Some of the debt growth is a reflection of the increases in the value of shareholdings.’
    • ‘Vast amounts of resources have facilitated huge increases in production capacity.’
    • ‘So it's hard to see increases of anywhere near this amount being sustained for too much longer.’
    • ‘Such increases are both justified and achievable, given the size of the world economy.’
    • ‘Low inflation and the introduction of the euro may make price increases harder to justify.’
    • ‘Not everyone has had their benefits increased above the rate of price increases.’
    growth, rise, enlargement, expansion, extension, multiplication, elevation, swelling, inflation
    View synonyms

Phrases

    on the increase

    • Becoming greater, more common, or more frequent.

      ‘fraud is on the increase’
      • ‘It's a disease that is more common than you might think - and it's on the increase.’
      • ‘One of the reasons, of course, is that fraud is on the increase and that affects the rest of us who end up having to pay higher premiums as a result.’
      • ‘It is not known whether it is on the increase or not, but it is being reported more frequently.’
      • ‘The rat population is rapidly on the increase, bringing with it increased risk of diseases.’
      • ‘However, it is a fact that virus infections, like home break-ins, are on the increase.’
      • ‘Allergic diseases are known to be on the increase in western populations, but the reason why is not clear.’
      • ‘Crime is on the increase and the recent setting afire of a police vehicle has raised the level of crime to new heights.’
      • ‘Mr Guymer said vandalism seemed to be on the increase at Vista Road.’
      • ‘But the number of pupils remaining out of school with parental permission appears to be on the increase.’
      • ‘They say public order offences and robberies from homes are on the increase.’

Origin

Middle English (formerly also as encrease): from Old French encreistre, from Latin increscere, from in- ‘into’ + crescere ‘grow’.