increase

pronunciation
Be careful how you say this word. When increase is a verb, you say the second part of the word louder: inCREASE. When increase is a noun, you say the first part of the word louder: INcrease.

to become bigger or more; to make something bigger or more:
The number of women who go out to work has increased.
I'm going to increase your pocket money to £5.

>> increase noun:
There has been an increase in road accidents.
a price increase
opposite decrease

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

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.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

increase

in·crease [increase increases increased increasing] verb, noun

verb [ɪnˈkriːs] ; [ɪnˈkriːs] intransitive, transitive
to become or to make sth greater in amount, number, value, etc
• ~ (from A) (to B) The population has increased from 1.2 million to 1.8 million.
• increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere
• Increasing numbers of people are using hand-held devices to access the Internet.
• The price of oil increased.
• ~ in sth Oil increased in price.
• ~ by sth The rate of inflation increased by 2%.
• ~ with sth Disability increases with age (= the older sb is, the more likely they are to be disabled).
• ~ sth (from A) (to B) We need to increase productivity.
• ~ sth (by sth) They've increased the price by 50%.
Opp: decrease
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Middle English (formerly also as encrease): from Old French encreistre, from Latin increscere, from in- ‘into’ + crescere ‘grow’.
Thesaurus:
increase verb
1. T
• They have increased the price by 50%.
raise • • heighten • • intensify • • step sth up • • turn sth up • |often approving, especially journalism boost • |often disapproving, especially journalism inflate • |especially business maximize •
Opp: cut, Opp: reduce, (formal) Opp: decrease
increase/raise/step up/boost/inflate sth by 15%, 250, £100, a third, etc.
increase/raise/step up/boost/inflate sth from 2% to 5%
increase/raise/boost/inflate/maximise prices
increase/raise/heighten/boost awareness/interest
increase/raise/intensify/step up the pressure
Increase or raise? Increase is used slightly more often about numbers, prices and figures; raise is often used about feelings and qualities.
2. I
• The population increased from 1.2 million to 1.5 million.
rise • • grow • • climb • • escalate • • jump • • rocket • |especially spoken go up • |written soar • |disapproving spiral • • shoot up •
Opp: decline, (formal) Opp: decrease
increase/rise/grow/jump/go up/soar/shoot up in price, number, etc.
increase/rise/grow/climb/jump/rocket/go up/soar/shoot up (by) 10%, 200, etc.
increase/rise/grow/climb/escalate/jump/rocket/go up/soar/shoot up from 2% to 5%
the price increases/rises/climbs/escalates/jumps/rockets/goes up/soars/spirals/shoots up
the level increases/rises/escalates/jumps/goes up/soars/shoots up
Increase, rise or grow? Increase is slightly more formal. Rise is the most common and is used more often about the number or level of sth; grow and increase can also be used about size and strength:
• Profits/Numbers have risen/grown/increased.
• Her confidence grew/increased.
¤ Her confidence rose.
Language Bank:
increase
Describing an increase
▪ Student numbers in English language schools in this country increased ▪ from 66 000 in 2008 to just over 84 000 in 2009.
▪ The number of students increased ▪ by almost 30% compared with the previous year.
▪ Student numbers shot up ▪ / increased dramatically ▪ in 2009.
▪ The proportion of Spanish students rose sharply ▪ from 5% in 2008 to 14% in 2009.
▪ There was a significant rise ▪ in student numbers in 2009.
▪ The 2009 figure was 84 000, an increase of ▪ 28% on the previous year.
▪ The 2009 figure was 84 000, 28 per cent up ▪ on the previous year.
▪ As the chart shows, this can partly be explained by a dramatic increase ▪ in students from Spain.
Language Banks at expect, fall, illustrate, proportion
Example Bank:
• Demand is expected to increase over the next decade.
• Disability increases with age.
• Last month the reward was increased from $20 000 to $40 000.
• Progressively increase the intensity of the exercise over three weeks.
• Sales increased almost fourfold in this period.
• The budget has increased by more than a third in the last year.
• to increase in amount/number/price/size
• Her confidence/fear/grew/increased.
• Profits/Numbers have risen/grown/increased.
• They've increased the price by 50%.

Example Bank:
• increased demand/pressure/spending

Derived Word: increased

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

increase / ɪnˈkriːs / verb [ I or T ]

B1 to (make something) become larger in amount or size:

Incidents of armed robbery have increased over the last few years.

The cost of the project has increased dramatically/significantly since it began.

Gradually increase the temperature to boiling point.

Increased/Increasing efforts are being made to end the dispute.

→ Compare decrease verb

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

increase

♦
increases, increasing, increased
(The verb is pronounced [ɪnkri͟ːs]. The noun is pronounced [ɪ̱nkriːs].)
1) V-ERG If something increases or you increase it, it becomes greater in number, level, or amount.
  The population continues to increase...
  [V by/from/to amount] Japan's industrial output increased by 2%...
  [V n] The company has increased the price of its cars...
  [V-ed] The increased investment will help stabilise the economy...
  [V-ing] We are experiencing an increasing number of problems.
  Ant:
  decrease
2) N-COUNT: oft N in n, N of amount If there is an increase in the number, level, or amount of something, it becomes greater.
  ...a sharp increase in productivity...
  He called for an increase of 1p on income tax.
  ...an increase of violence along the border.
  Syn:
  rise
  Ant:
  decrease
3) PHRASE: v-link PHR If something is on the increase, it is happening more often or becoming greater in number or intensity.
  Crime is on the increase.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

¹in·crease /ɪnˈkriːs/ verb -creas·es; -creased; -creas·ing
1 [no obj] : to become larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
• Sales increased [=rose] this year.
• Skill increases with practice.
• The population is increasing [=growing] dramatically.
• The house increased in value.
2 [+ obj] : to make (something) larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
• They will soon increase [=raise] the price from $50 to $60.
• She increased her wealth substantially.
• The pilot increased speed.
• The store is increasing [=raising] its prices.
- opposite decrease
- increased adj
• These symptoms are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
- increasing adj
• There has been increasing criticism of his policies.