Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

increase

1. in.crease \in-'kre-s, 'in-.\ vb [ME encresen, fr. MF encreistre, fr. L 
   increscere, fr. in-] + crescere to grow - more at CRESCENT 1: to become 
   greater : GROW  2: to multiply by the production of young  1: to make 
   greater : AUGMENT  archaic  2: ENRICH, PROMOTE transitively implies 
   progressive growth in size, amount, intensity; used transitively it may 
   imply simple not necessarily progressive addition; ENLARGE implies 
   expansion or extension that makes greater in size or capacity; AUGMENT 
   implies addition to what is already well grown or well developed; MULTIPLY 
   implies increase in number by natural generation, or by splitting or 
   folding, or by indefinite repetition of a process - in.creas.er n SYN syn 
   ENLARGE, AUGMENT, MULTIPLY: INCREASE used in 
2. in.crease \'in-.kre-s, in-'\ n 1: act of increasing : as  1a: addition 
   or enlargement in size, extent, quantity  obs  1b: PROPAGATION  2: 
   something that is added to the original stock by augmentation or growth  
   (as offspring, produce, profit)