improve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition.
He took vitamins to improve his health.
- Antonyms:
- worsen
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to make (land) more useful, profitable, or valuable by enclosure, cultivation, etc.
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to increase the value of (real property) by betterments, as the construction of buildings and sewers.
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to make good use of; turn to account.
He improved the stopover by seeing a client with offices there.
verb (used without object)
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to increase in value, excellence, etc.; become better.
The military situation is improving.
- Antonyms:
- worsen
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to make improvements, as by revision, addition, or change.
None of the younger violinists have been able to improve on his interpretation of that work.
verb
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to make or become better in quality; ameliorate
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(tr) to make (buildings, land, etc) more valuable by additions or betterment
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(intr; usually foll by on or upon) to achieve a better standard or quality in comparison (with)
to improve on last year's crop
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say improve?
To improve something is to bring it into a more desirable or excellent condition. How is improve different from the verbs ameliorate and better? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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improvabilitynoun
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improvablenessnoun
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improvernoun
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preimproveverb (used with object)
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improvableadjective
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quasi-improvedadjective
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superimprovedadjective
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well-improvedadjective
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improvablyadverb
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improvinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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improvesimple
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improvessimple
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have improvedperfect
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has improvedperfect
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am improvingprogressive
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are improvingprogressive
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is improvingprogressive
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have been improvingperfect progressive
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has been improvingperfect progressive
Past
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improvedsimple
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had improvedperfect
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was improvingprogressive
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were improvingprogressive
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had been improvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of improve
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English improuen, emprouen from Anglo-French emprouer “to turn (something) into profit,” derivative of phrase en prou “into profit,” equivalent to en ( see en- 1) + prou, Old French prou, preu from Late Latin prōde (est), by reanalysis of Latin prōdest “(it) is beneficial, of use,” with prōde taken as a neuter noun ( cf. proud); the sound v was made by association with prove, approve
Explanation
When you improve something, you make it better. For example, you can improve your harmonica playing with practice. Be happy when you see this word, because something is getting better — improving. Getting a tutor will usually improve your grades. Sleeping well improves your health and alertness. A haircut could improve your looks. Painters have to decide whether a painting is finished or if it can still be improved. Voters decide which candidate will improve the nation. Sometimes a sick patient will mysteriously improve. The opposite of improve is worsen or deteriorate.
Vocabulary lists containing improve
"Hitching a Ride"
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"Brothers in Hope"
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Excerpt from "Do Something!"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Maybe the way to improve the off-site is to re-enact the playful things we did at an age when making friends seemed easier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Keeling said it was likely improve challenges in recruitment "if women feel welcome by making sure that appropriate kit and equipment are available".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Her statement talks about purpose, healing and a journey to “be better, improve and transform our spiritual selves.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Intel is still expected to dramatically improve margins from the 29.7% level it reported for the same quarter a year ago.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Unions gave workers the power to bargain with employers and improve their lives.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
Labour advocates question whether app-based work meaningfully improves workers' conditions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“The ghosting thing is a very real problem,” he said — adding that hasn’t seen any evidence that a cover letter improves the chances of a response for GigHQ users.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
“We’re committed to building AI that improves people’s lives and embrace robust debate because it makes our research, products, and policies better and safer,” an OpenAI spokesman said in a written statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Give them enough data to train on and, over time, their accuracy improves - even though we may not totally understand how they are doing it.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Wolves wouldn’t find them interesting. Tell me what you’ve been watching on TV. We aren’t allowed TV unless a show improves our souls.”
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
The company earlier this week said it had rejected a previous proposal from Prologis but that it would be available to engage with its suitor with an improved bid on the table.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
But Chelsea's financial position has actually improved since last summer, when they were handed a £26.7m fine and placed under a four-year settlement agreement with Uefa.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Intel said on its prior earnings call that it had improved CPU output at its factories after finding itself in an undersupply earlier this year, but noted that demand is continuing to outstrip supply.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Gross margins improved slightly in the third quarter, increasing to 9.9%.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
This increased Cohn's distaste for boxing, but it gave him a certain satisfaction of some strange sort, and it certainly improved his nose.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
Cal-Maine said it is continuing work to grow its prepared foods unit, adding additional capacity and improving utilization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Chief Executive Sherman Miller said early indications point to an improving supply-demand balance heading into the fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
More than anyone, Federov is seen by many as driving innovation in the military, gradually improving Ukraine's chances of beating back its numerically superior enemy.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The district also called attention to progress in closing the achievement gap, saying there were “accelerated gains among historically underserved students who are narrowing achievement gaps and improving at rates that exceed overall district growth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
When he wasn’t busy trying to recruit new agents or receiving coded radio messages from Moscow, Abel worked on improving as a painter.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.