Increase Synonyms: 18 Other Ways to Say Increase (With Examples & Usage Tips)

Increase Synonyms List: 18 Other Ways to Say Increase

Prices increase, audiences increase, confidence increases — the word increase does a lot of heavy lifting in English. But repeating it makes your writing sound mechanical. English offers a rich set of alternatives, each with its own flavor of growth. A synonym gives you a fresh way to say the same thing, and picking the right one makes your sentences feel natural and confident. Discover more word guides on the SpellDict homepage.

Below are 18 precise ways to say increase, each with a clear meaning, usage guidance, and three original example sentences. To keep growing your vocabulary, check out our guides to better synonyms and strong synonyms.

Grow

Meaning: To become bigger, stronger, or more developed over time.

When to use it: For natural, organic progress — businesses, plants, skills, confidence.

When to avoid it: For sudden spikes; growing implies a gradual process.

• The bakery grew from a single stall into three shops.
• Her confidence grew with every successful presentation.
• Interest in the course grew throughout the semester.

Rise

Meaning: To move upward in number, level, or amount.

When to use it: For prices, temperatures, statistics, and anything measured going up.

When to avoid it: For deliberate human effort — things rise on their own.

• House prices rose sharply this spring.
• Excitement rose as the concert date approached.
• The river rose after three days of rain.

Expand

Meaning: To become larger in size, scope, or reach.

When to use it: For businesses, ideas, teams, and anything spreading outward.

When to avoid it: For pure numbers — a price does not “expand.”

• The company expanded into two new countries.
• She expanded her research into a full book.
• The festival expanded its lineup this year.

Boost

Meaning: To push something higher with extra energy or support.

When to use it: For sales, morale, energy, and anything needing a lift.

When to avoid it: In formal financial reports, where it sounds like hype.

• The holiday sale boosted the store’s revenue.
• Kind feedback boosted the new writer’s confidence.
• Protein at breakfast boosts afternoon energy.

Raise

Meaning: To lift something to a higher level, amount, or standard.

When to use it: For salaries, awareness, standards, and deliberate upward moves.

When to avoid it: For things that grow by themselves — plants grow, people raise funds.

• The charity raised over a million dollars.
• She raised her hand to ask a question.
• The school raised its admission standards.

Extend

Meaning: To make something longer, larger, or available for more time.

When to use it: For deadlines, invitations, roads, and ranges.

When to avoid it: When you mean multiply in number — extending is about length or reach.

• The library extended its opening hours.
• They extended their trip by three days.
• The road was extended to the new suburb.

Enlarge

Meaning: To make something physically bigger in size.

When to use it: For photos, rooms, text, and visible objects.

When to avoid it: For abstract growth — you do not “enlarge” happiness.

• She enlarged the photo to hang above the desk.
• They enlarged the kitchen during the renovation.
• He enlarged the font to read more comfortably.

Multiply

Meaning: To increase greatly in number, often rapidly.

When to use it: For fast, dramatic growth in quantity — followers, profits, opportunities.

When to avoid it: For slow, steady change — multiplying suggests speed.

• Her online followers multiplied after the viral video.
• Small efforts multiply into big results over time.
• The startup’s clients multiplied within a year.

Gain

Meaning: To obtain more of something, usually in a positive way.

When to use it: For weight, experience, respect, and momentum.

When to avoid it: When the increase is negative — problems do not “gain,” they grow.

• He gained valuable experience during the internship.
• The team gained momentum after the first win.
• She gained ten new clients this quarter.

Build up

Meaning: To increase gradually through steady, accumulated effort.

When to use it: For savings, strength, stamina, and trust built over time.

When to avoid it: In formal writing — it is a casual phrasal verb.

• She built up her savings before quitting her job.
• Daily runs built up his stamina for the marathon.
• Honest conversations build up trust in a team.

Add

Meaning: To put more of something together so the total becomes larger.

When to use it: The simplest choice — ingredients, items, details, numbers.

When to avoid it: When you want a stronger or more formal tone.

• She added fresh herbs to the soup.
• The teacher added three new books to the list.
• They added an extra bedroom to the house.

Escalate

Meaning: To increase in intensity, seriousness, or scale — often rapidly.

When to use it: For conflicts, costs, and situations growing more serious.

When to avoid it: For positive growth — escalation sounds alarming.

• The disagreement escalated into a full argument.
• Repair costs escalated beyond the original budget.
• Tensions escalated throughout the negotiations.

Amplify

Meaning: To make something stronger, louder, or more powerful.

When to use it: For voices, messages, effects, and signals.

When to avoid it: For simple counting — you amplify impact, not inventory.

• Social media amplified the campaign’s message.
• The microphone amplified her voice across the hall.
• Good design amplifies a product’s appeal.

Accumulate

Meaning: To gather or collect more and more over time.

When to use it: For wealth, knowledge, dust, and anything piling up gradually.

When to avoid it: For sudden jumps — accumulation is slow by definition.

• He accumulated a vast collection of rare coins.
• Years of reading accumulated into deep knowledge.
• Interest accumulated on the unpaid balance.

Augment

Meaning: To increase by adding something extra; to supplement.

When to use it: In formal or technical contexts — income, staff, capabilities.

When to avoid it: In casual speech — it sounds stiff and academic.

• She took freelance work to augment her income.
• The hospital augmented its staff for the winter season.
• New software augmented the team’s productivity.

Skyrocket

Meaning: To rise extremely fast and dramatically.

When to use it: For dramatic surges — prices, popularity, demand.

When to avoid it: In formal or understated writing — it is vivid and informal.

• Demand for the tickets skyrocketed within hours.
• Her channel’s views skyrocketed after the collaboration.
• Housing costs have skyrocketed in the capital.

Double

Meaning: To increase to twice the original amount.

When to use it: When the growth is exactly or roughly twofold.

When to avoid it: When the amount is vague — doubling implies a specific ratio.

• The company doubled its staff in eighteen months.
• She doubled her savings rate this year.
• The recipe doubles easily for a crowd.

Heighten

Meaning: To increase the intensity or level of a feeling or effect.

When to use it: For emotions, senses, drama, and awareness.

When to avoid it: For physical quantities — you heighten tension, not tonnage.

• The music heightened the film’s suspense.
• Travel heightened her appreciation for home.
• The announcement heightened security concerns.

Formal vs. Casual Ways to Say Increase

Numbers climb in boardrooms and in group chats — but the words you choose signal which room you are in. Formal writing favors precise, Latin-rooted verbs, while casual writing favors short, vivid ones. As the Grammarly synonym guide notes, the right synonym is the one your audience expects.

Synonym	Formal setting	Casual setting
Augment	Academic papers and official reports	Sounds stiff with friends
Accumulate	Financial and scientific writing	Too heavy for small talk
Escalate	Business and diplomatic language	Dramatic in daily chat
Heighten	Literary and analytical prose	Rare in conversation
Expand	Corporate strategy documents	Works fine casually too
Skyrocket	Too vivid for formal reports	Perfect for exciting news
Build up	Too casual for official writing	Natural in everyday speech
Boost	Sounds like marketing in reports	Energetic and friendly
Grow	Standard in business writing	Universal and warm
Add	Too plain for formal prose	Simple and always clear

4 Common Mistakes When Using Increase Synonyms

Mistake 1: Using “escalate” for good news. Escalate carries a warning tone — costs escalate, conflicts escalate. Saying “our happiness escalated” sounds alarming. Use grow, soar language like skyrocket, or simply rise for positive trends. Our happy synonyms guide has warmer options.

Mistake 2: Saying prices “expand.” Expand is about scope and reach, not numbers. Prices rise, companies expand — mixing the two confuses readers. Keep each verb in its lane.

Mistake 3: Using “augment” in casual conversation. Telling friends you will “augment the pizza order” will get you strange looks. Augment belongs in formal and technical writing; use add or boost in daily speech.

Mistake 4: Confusing “raise” and “rise.” Raise is transitive — you raise something. Rise is intransitive — something rises on its own. “Prices raised” is wrong; “prices rose” is right. English learners discuss this classic pair often on r/EnglishLearning.

FAQs About Increase Synonyms

What is the best formal synonym for increase?
Augment and accumulate are the most formal choices, while expand and grow work well in professional writing without sounding stiff. Avoid skyrocket and boost in formal reports.

What is the difference between raise and rise?
Raise needs an object — you raise prices, hands, or standards. Rise happens on its own — prices rise, the sun rises. Remember: people raise things; things rise by themselves.

Which synonym means very fast growth?
Skyrocket describes dramatic, rapid upward movement, and multiply suggests fast growth in number. Use them when the change is sudden and striking — not for slow, steady progress.

Can “grow” be used for businesses?
Absolutely — grow is the standard verb for business expansion. “The company grew its revenue” and “the startup is growing fast” are both natural. For a more formal tone, use expand instead.

Is “build up” too informal?
For essays and reports, yes — prefer accumulate or develop. But in conversation, emails, and blogs, “build up” sounds friendly and natural, as in “build up your savings.”

Final Thoughts on Increase Synonyms

Growth comes in many speeds, and now you have 18 words to describe every one of them — from the slow patience of accumulate to the explosive energy of skyrocket. The trick is matching the verb to the kind of growth you mean: numbers rise, businesses expand, efforts multiply, and feelings heighten. Choose precisely, and your writing will sound sharper instantly. Keep expanding your vocabulary with our smart synonyms and easy synonyms guides — and stop by the SpellDict homepage whenever you need the perfect word.