I. in ‧ crease 1 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.
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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%.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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His confidence soared.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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To maximize the chances of a successful pregnancy, you should make sure that you eat well.
II. in ‧ crease 2 S2 W1 /ˈɪnkriːs/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ increased , ↑ increasing ; verb : ↑ increase ; noun : ↑ increase ; adverb : ↑ increasingly ]
a rise in amount, number, or degree OPP decrease
increase in
an increase in the crime rate
Recent tax increases have affected the poor more than the rich.
the dramatic increase in the population aged over 65
There has been a marked increase in the use of firearms.
Cases of tuberculosis are on the increase.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ big/large
The company has announced a big increase in its profits for last year.
▪ slight/small
Doctors have reported a slight increase in the number of deaths caused by the disease.
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The temperature increase was quite small.
▪ great (=big)
There has been a great increase in air traffic in the last twenty years.
▪ huge/massive (=very big)
There was a huge increase in emigration after the war.
▪ substantial/considerable formal (=quite big)
He negotiated a substantial increase in pay for the workers.
▪ significant/marked (=definite and noticeable)
Over the last few years, there has been a marked increase in tourism to developing countries.
▪ dramatic/sharp (=large and sudden)
What has led to this dramatic increase in prices?
▪ rapid (=happening quickly)
Recently there has been a rapid increase in fish farming.
▪ modest (=small)
The figures reveal a modest increase in the birth rate.
▪ gradual (=happening slowly)
Her temperature chart showed a gradual increase over the preceding six hours.
▪ steady (=happening slowly but continuously)
The university has benefited from a steady increase in student numbers.
▪ a threefold/fourfold/fivefold etc increase (=an increase by three, four etc times)
The figures show a threefold increase in incidents of car theft.
▪ a 10%/50% etc increase
A 5% increase in petrol prices is predicted.
▪ an annual increase
The company reported a 10% increase in pre-tax profits.
■ verbs
▪ lead to an increase
They argue that the abolition of the death penalty has led to an increase in the number of murders.
▪ cause/bring about an increase
The heatwave brought about a massive increase in water consumption.
■ NOUN + increase
▪ a price increase
We expect a price increase of 1.4% this year.
▪ a fare increase
The airline instituted a 10% fare increase.
▪ a wage/pay/salary increase
Canadian workers received a 5.4% wage increase.
▪ a tax increase
The government had no choice but to impose a tax increase.
■ phrases
▪ be on the increase (=be increasing)
Knife attacks are on the increase.
▪ the rate of increase
The rate of increase in the number of violent crimes is much higher than under the previous government.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ increase noun [uncountable and countable] an occasion when the amount or number of something becomes bigger:
There has been a significant increase in violent crime over the past year.
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price increases
▪ growth noun [singular, uncountable] an increase in the number, size, or importance of something. Growth is also used when saying that a company or a country’s economy becomes more successful:
The astonishing growth of the Internet has had a dramatic effect on people’s lives.
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Japan experienced a period of rapid economic growth.
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Many people are concerned about the enormous growth in the world’s population.
▪ rise noun [countable] an increase in the amount of something, or in the standard or level of something:
The latest figures show a sharp rise (=a sudden big rise) in unemployment in the region.
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There was a 34 percent rise in the number of armed robberies.
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The majority of families experienced a rise in living standards.
▪ surge noun [countable usually singular] a sudden increase in something such as profits, demand, or interest:
There has been a big surge in demand for organically grown food.
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We have seen a tremendous surge of interest in Chinese medicine.
▪ gain noun [uncountable and countable] an increase in the amount or level of something - used especially in business or political contexts, or when talking about an increase in someone’s weight:
sales gains
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The December job figures show a net gain of 81,000 jobs.
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The party has experienced a gain in popularity.
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The amount of weight gain during pregnancy varies.
▪ hike noun [countable] informal especially American English a large or sudden increase in prices or taxes - often used in newspaper reports:
Despite a 25% hike in fuel costs, the airline made a profit last year.
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tax hikes
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wage hikes
■ a very big increase
▪ explosion noun [countable] a sudden very large increase in the amount or number of something:
There has been an explosion in the number of fast food restaurants.
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The country experienced a population explosion.
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The book caused an explosion of interest in Renaissance Italy.
▪ boom noun [singular] a sudden large increase in trade, profits or sales, with the result that a country, company, or industry becomes very successful. Boom is also used about a sudden increase in interest in something, with the result that it becomes very popular:
the German economic boom of the 1960s
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the Internet boom
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There has been a boom in sales of diet books and videos.