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improve

verb

Simple meaning

To make something better or to get better yourself

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ihmproov

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɪmpˈɹuv

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something).

    “The editor improved the manuscript with his changes.”

  2. Get better

  3. intransitive

    To become better.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something).

Used this way, improve is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“The editor improved the manuscript with his changes.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use improve

  • “The editor improved the manuscript with his changes.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

improve performanceimprove qualitygreatly improvesignificantly improvefurther improve

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • improvedadjectiveInflected form

    Made more desirable or valuable or profitable.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • improvementnounDerived noun

    A change for the better.

  • improviseverbDerived verb

    Perform without preparation.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to make (something) better

ameliorateamend

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.