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Verb
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Usage
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Sample
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Increase
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to become larger in number, amount, price, or value
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- Last year, the number of burglaries increased by 15 percent.
- The percentage of households with a computer increased from9% to 52%.
- The world's population is increasing at a rate of 91 million people each year.
- Land prices have increased dramatically during the last thirty years.
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rise/go up
STUDY NOTE: Grammar
Rise is more formal than go up.
If you want to say that something 'has increased', you can say that it is up, for example: Profits are up by almost 50%.
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Phrasal verb to increase. Rise and go up are used especially about numbers, prices or temperatures. They can also be used about the level or standard of something:
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- Fuel prices rose by over 10 percent.
- Last month unemployment went up from6 million to just over 1.7 million.
- Crime rates have risen sharply in inner city areas.
- World demand for oil is rising steadily at around 2 percent a year.
- Sea temperatures have been rising gradually over the past 30 years.
- Living standards have gone up dramatically. (=by a surprisingly large amount)
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temperature/prices etc to increase in number, amount, or level
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The temperature has climbed steadily since this morning.
▪ Inflation climbed 2% last month.
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Grow
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To increase, especially gradually over a period of time. Grow is used about numbers or amounts, or about the total amount of business or trade
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- The volume of traffic on our roads continues to grow.
- The economy is growing by about 2.5% a year.
- Since 1990, U.S. imports of foreign goods have grown at a rate of 7.7 percent per year.
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double/triple/quadruple
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to become twice as much, three times as much, or four times as much
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- Since 1950, the number of people dying from cancer has almost
- During the last 15 years, earnings have tripled for men and doubled for women.
- The production of maize quadrupled.
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Expand
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to become larger in size, or to include a wider range of activities
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- After two years of no growth, the economy started to expand again in 2003.
- The report estimates that up to 40,000 plants could die out if the population expands from 6 billion to 8 billion by 2020, as currently predicted.
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Soar
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to increase and reach a very high level. Soar is used about numbers and amounts, or about people's feelings and attitudes, and is especially used in journalism
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- Interest rates soared to over 100 percent.
- The rumours sent house prices soaring. (=made them increase to a very high level)
- The president's popularity soared. (=he became extremely popular)
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escalate
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to increase to a high level. Escalate is used about things that you do not want to increase such as costs, crimes, or violence
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- Energy costs have escalated.
- The violence began to escalate and the demonstrators started attacking the police
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boom
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to increase or become successful and produce a lot of money very quickly
OFTEN in continuous tenses
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- The leisure industry is booming.
- Tourism boomed here in the late 1990s.
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leap
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to increase quickly and by a large amount
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- Profits leapt to £376m.
- Shares leapt about 5% to $32.375
- The price of gas leapt 15% overnight.
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Rocket
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if a price or amount rockets, it increases quickly and suddenly
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- Interest rates rocketed up.
- Car sales rocketed from 180 to 2000 a year.
- Gold prices rocketed to their highest level since 1983.
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Shoot up
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to increase very quickly and suddenly
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- Demand for water has shot up by 70% over the last 30 years.
- US exports to Mexico have already shot up to 130% since 1985.
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Surge
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to suddenly increase
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- Oil prices surged
- By 2006, the liver transplant figure is likely to surge to at least 4.3 million.
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to make something increase
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Increase
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to make something become larger in number, amount, price, or value
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- The company wants to increase the number of phones it sells in the UK.
- Smoking increases the risk of a heart attack by almost ten times.
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Raise
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to increase prices, taxes, rents etc. Raise is also used about increasing levels and standards:
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- The government will either have to raise taxes or reduce spending.
- The price of a barrel of oil was raised to over $30.
- The government says that it wants to raise standards in schools.
- Saturated fats, which are found mostly in animal products, raise the level of cholesterol in the blood.
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put up
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to increase prices, taxes, rents etc.
Raise is more formal than put up
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- The company plans to put up the price of the drug by up to 20 percent.
- In the long term, unless the economy recovers, the government will be forced to put up
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double/triple/quadruple
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to increase the amount of something so that it is twice, three times, or four times as much
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- The United States has more than doubled the amount of aid it gives to developing countries.
- The company hopes to triple the size of its packaging business.
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Expand
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to increase something so that it includes a wider range of things, or to increase the size of a business
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- The college is expanding its range of courses.
- Within a few months she expanded the business and took over a computer firm employing 120 people.
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to increase sales, profits, or the production of something, especially when they have been lower than you want them to be
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- Farmers can boost their profits by selling direct to customers.
- The hot weather has boosted sales of ice cream.
- Scientists are helping to boost rice production using genetically modified rice.
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to increase your power or influence, or to increase the number of things that you are involved in
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- The US wants to extend its influence in the region.
- Banks are extending the scope of their activities and are offering services such as insurance and advice on investments.
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