¹augment

verb aug·ment \ȯg-ˈment\

: to increase the size or amount of (something)

: to add something to (something) in order to improve or complete it

Full Definition of AUGMENT

transitive verb

: to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense <the impact of the report was augmented by its timing>

: to add an augment to (see ²augment)

: supplement <augmented her income>

intransitive verb

: to become augmented

— aug·ment·er or aug·men·tor \-ˈmen-tər\ noun

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Examples of AUGMENT

… a former member of Brunet's team, Jean-Renaud Boisserie of Berkeley, is in the Middle Awash seeking to augment the animal fossil record—particularly that of hippopotamuses. —Rex Dalton, Nature, 5 Jan. 2006
These reserve units will soon be augmented by full-time Maritime Safety and Security Teams. The first of these teams was formed on July 3; a dozen more are supposed to be created within the next three years. —David Helvarg, Popular Science, September 2002
The sale of its shares in such companies has helped augment its cash reserves from $1.7 billion to $2 billion. Call it a rainy-day fund—something that other dot-coms never had. But the move also suggests that even Yahoo has lost faith in the once boundless promise of Internet companies. —Brad Stone, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2001
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Origin of AUGMENT

Middle English, from Anglo-French augmenter, from Late Latin augmentare, from Latin augmentum increase, from augēre to increase — more at eke

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to AUGMENT

Synonyms: accelerate, add (to), aggrandize, amplify, increase, boost, build up, compound, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, hype, multiply, pump up, raise, swell, stoke, supersize, up

Antonyms: abate, decrease, de-escalate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, lessen, lower, minify, reduce, subtract (from)

Synonym Discussion of AUGMENT

increase, enlarge, augment, multiply mean to make or become greater. increase used intransitively implies progressive growth in size, amount, or intensity <his waistline increased with age>; used transitively it may imply simple not necessarily progressive addition <increased her landholdings>. enlarge implies expansion or extension that makes greater in size or capacity <enlarged the kitchen>. augment implies addition to what is already well grown or well developed <the inheritance augmented his fortune>. multiply implies increase in number by natural generation or by indefinite repetition of a process <with each attempt the problems multiplied>.