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
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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
Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Robberies in Washington peaked in 2023, marking the highest count seen in the decade, with a 67% increase from the previous year.
—Stella Canino-Quinones, Baltimore Sun, 3 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
The unlawful increases also affect the basic plan, which saw a 2-euro increase in October 2024.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Robberies in Washington peaked in 2023, marking the highest count seen in the decade, with a 67% increase from the previous year.
—Stella Canino-Quinones, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for increase
Recent Examples of Synonyms for increase
Verb
-
With the 2026 midterms approaching, sustained voter unease could reshape the broader electoral map and complicate Republican efforts to hold or expand their congressional margins.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But the department is looking to expand its authority.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now there's another big one; the cost of nitrogen fertilizer, which often comes in the form of urea, is rising due to war.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Pisces February 19 – March 20 A fresh voice rises from within you.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Basically, this treatment entails using a sample of your own blood to create a more concentrated version that’s rich in growth factors — then, that version is injected into your scalp to give your hair follicles a boost.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The next morning, the in-tent coffee machine provided a necessary boost to start the day after a good night’s sleep.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 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
-
Fortifier, a product tailored to preemies, is meant to augment mother’s milk when babies are born prematurely and a mother’s milk alone doesn’t deliver enough nutrition.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
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And the bullpen highlighted by Carlos Estevez and Lucas Erceg augmented by the addition of Matt Strahm figures to give them an advantage in putting away games.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At the height of the pandemic — when learning loss was accelerating and reading gaps were widening — the approval process was estimated to take six months to a year.—
Daniel L Gordon,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In the long term, the supply shock may accelerate nuclear restarts and electric vehicle adoption faster than years of climate policy ever managed.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 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
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The school also received a Rotary Club grant, and its PTA also raised a significant amount of money.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But the arc — first raising expectations for a big reveal, then declaring there was nothing to see, and ultimately a forced, flawed document dump — was a stubbornly problematic storyline that ran through her time as attorney general.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Increase.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/increase. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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