increase

increase

I. in‧crease¹ S2 W1 /ɪnˈkriːs/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: adjective: increased, increasing; verb: increase; noun: increase; adverb: increasingly]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: encreistre, from Latin increscere, from crescere 'to grow']
[intransitive and transitive] if you increase something, or if it increases, it becomes bigger in amount, number, or degree OPP decrease, reduce:
The population increased dramatically in the first half of the century.
political tensions that might increase the likelihood of war
Visits to the site have increased threefold since May.
increase in value/price/importance etc
Investments are certain to increase in value.
increase (something) by something
Food prices increased by 10% in less than a year.
increase (something) from/to something
The salary is £18,600 a year, increasing to £23,000.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say that an amount or level goes up rather than increases:
▪ The population has gone up a lot.
▪ Her investments all went up in value.
—increasing adjective:
the increasing difficulty of finding trained staff
European leaders watched events unfold with increasing alarm.
—increased adjective:
an increased incidence of childhood leukaemia
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to increase
▪ increase to become larger in number, amount, or degree: Sales increased by 25%. | The level of violence has increased.
▪ go up to increase. Go up is less formal than increase, and is the usual verb to use in everyday English: The price of coffee has gone up.
▪ rise to increase. Rise sounds a little formal and is often used when talking about the level of something increasing: The demand for oil has been rising steadily. | Living standards have risen dramatically.
▪ grow to increase, especially gradually over a period of time – used about numbers or amounts: Since 1990, US imports of foreign goods have grown at a rate of 7.7% per year. | The number of people working from home has grown substantially.
▪ escalate to increase to a high level – used about things that you do not want to increase such as costs, crimes, or violence: Fuel prices are escalating. | The fighting has escalated.
▪ double/triple to become twice as much or three times as much: Since 1950, the number of people dying from cancer has almost doubled. | The company’s profits tripled last quarter.
▪ expand to become larger in size, or to include a wider range of activities: The business has expanded at a rate of 15% per year. | We are hoping to expand into mobile phone services.
▪ soar to increase and reach a very high level – used about numbers and amounts, or about feelings: The temperature soared to 36.6 degrees centigrade. | His confidence soared. | The singer’s popularity has soared.
▪ shoot up to increase very quickly and suddenly – used about prices, numbers, or temperatures: Share prices shot up 30% over the last week.
■ to make something increase
▪ increase to make something larger in number, amount, or degree: Being overweight increases the risk of having a heart attack. | We need to increase the number of police officers on the streets.
▪ put something up to increase prices, taxes etc. Put up something is less formal than increase, and is the usual verb to use in everyday English: The landlord has put the rent up again. | They’re always putting up gas prices.
▪ raise to increase something such as prices or taxes, or levels or standards: The bank has raised interest rates for the third time this year. | The school aims to raise students’ levels of achievement.
▪ double/triple to increase the amount of something so that it is twice or three times as large: The airline plans to double the number of passengers it carries by 2015. | High blood pressure triples the risk of strokes.
▪ boost to increase sales, profits, production etc, especially when they have been lower than you want them to be: Growing affluence has boosted sales. | Oil exports boosted the economy.
▪ expand to increase something so that it contains a wider range of things, or to increase the size of a business: The company plans to expand its retail operations. | Supermarkets have expanded their ranges to include non-food items.
▪ extend to increase something such as your power or influence, or the number of things you are involved in: We are hoping to extend the range of services that we offer. | The company plans to extend its dominance of the world car market.
▪ step up something to increase your efforts or activities, especially to change a situation: Security has been stepped up following the bombing. | Local people have stepped up their campaign to prevent a prison being built in their neighbourhood.
▪ heighten to increase a feeling or effect: The attack has heightened concerns about racism in schools. | Hunger can heighten the effect that alcohol has on you.
▪ maximize to increase something as much as possible: Businesses try to maximize efficiency and cut costs. | To maximize the chances of a successful pregnancy, you should make sure that you eat well.