Verb

Usage

Sample

Increase

to become larger in number, amount, price, or value

• 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.

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%.

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:

• 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)

temperature/prices etc to increase in number, amount, or level

The temperature has climbed steadily since this morning.

▪ Inflation climbed 2% last month.

Grow

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

• 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.

double/triple/quadruple

to become twice as much, three times as much, or four times as much

• 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.

Expand

to become larger in size, or to include a wider range of activities

• 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.

Soar

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

• 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)

escalate

to increase to a high level. Escalate is used about things that you do not want to increase such as costs, crimes, or violence

• Energy costs have escalated.
• The violence began to escalate and the demonstrators started attacking the police

boom

to increase or become successful and produce a lot of money very quickly

OFTEN in continuous tenses

• The leisure industry is booming.

• Tourism boomed here in the late 1990s.

leap

to increase quickly and by a large amount

• Profits leapt to £376m.
• Shares leapt about 5% to $32.375
• The price of gas leapt 15% overnight.

Rocket

if a price or amount rockets, it increases quickly and suddenly

• Interest rates rocketed up.
• Car sales rocketed from 180 to 2000 a year.
• Gold prices rocketed to their highest level since 1983.

Shoot up

to increase very quickly and suddenly

• 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.

Surge

to suddenly increase

• Oil prices surged
• By 2006, the liver transplant figure is likely to surge to at least 4.3 million.

to make something increase

Increase

to make something become larger in number, amount, price, or value

• 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.

Raise

to increase prices, taxes, rents etc. Raise is also used about increasing levels and standards:

• 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.

put up

to increase prices, taxes, rents etc.

Raise is more formal than put up

• 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

double/triple/quadruple

to increase the amount of something so that it is twice, three times, or four times as much

• 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.

Expand

to increase something so that it includes a wider range of things, or to increase the size of a business

• 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.

to increase sales, profits, or the production of something, especially when they have been lower than you want them to be

• 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.

to increase your power or influence, or to increase the number of things that you are involved in

• 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.