augment
Americanverb (used with object)
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augments,
present (3rd person singular)
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augmented,
past participle, past
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augmenting
present participle
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to make larger; enlarge in size, number, strength, or extent; increase.
His salary is augmented by a small inheritance.
- Synonyms:
- swell
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Music.
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to raise (the upper note of an interval or chord) by a half step.
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to double the note values of (a theme).
In the fugue's development the subject is augmented.
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Grammar. to add an augment to.
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Heraldry. to grant an augmentation to (a coat of arms).
verb (used without object)
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augments,
present (3rd person singular)
-
augmented,
past participle, past
-
augmenting
present participle
noun
verb
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to make or become greater in number, amount, strength, etc; increase
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(tr) music to increase (a major or perfect interval) by a semitone Compare diminish
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(tr) (in Greek and Sanskrit grammar) to prefix a vowel or diphthong to (a verb) to form a past tense
noun
Usage
What does augment mean? To augment something is to add to it in a way that makes it bigger or better. The general sense of augment is used in a variety of contexts where something is literally or figuratively increased in size, number, shape, value, or in some other way. A person might augment their salary with an additional source of income. A material like metal might be augmented to make it stronger. A teacher might augment a course’s textbook with additional learning materials. The noun augmentation refers to the process of augmenting something or the thing that augments. Things that augment or things that are intended to augment can be described as augmentative. A machine or device can be described as augmentable when other parts can be added to it to improve it in some way or give it additional functionality. Augment is also used in much more specific ways in the context of music and grammar, but its general sense is much more commonly used. Example: We recently augmented our nonfiction collection with many new titles by authors from marginalized communities.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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augmentsimple
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augmentssimple
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have augmentedperfect
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has augmentedperfect
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am augmentingprogressive
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are augmentingprogressive
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is augmentingprogressive
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have been augmentingperfect progressive
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has been augmentingperfect progressive
Past
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augmentedsimple
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had augmentedperfect
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was augmentingprogressive
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were augmentingprogressive
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had been augmentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of augment
First recorded in 1375–1475; late Middle English au(g)menten, from Anglo-French, Middle French au(g)menter, from Late Latin augmentāre “to increase,” derivative of augmentum “an increase,” from aug(ēre) “to increase” (akin to eke 1 ) + -mentum -ment )
Explanation
Do you need to make something bigger, better, or stronger? Then you need to augment it. To augment is to increase the amount or strength of something. Maybe your bike isn't getting around very well on hills: the bike needs to be augmented with a better set of tires. People augment their computers and phones all the time, adding new gadgets and apps. They augment the storage space in their cars by buying roof racks. If the President decides to augment taxes, taxes are going up. When you see the word augment, think "More!"
Vocabulary lists containing augment
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One of us worked side-by-side with Fed officials for a number of years on ways to augment the dot plot.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Long Beach will augment its normal emergency preparedness actions for the storm and continuous impacts from a potentially historic El Niño, city spokesperson Laath Martin wrote in a statement to the Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Some older Tomahawk cruise missiles have been refurbished to try to augment weapons levels, according to one official.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
"This study follows our recent development of the drug candidate GHP-88310. It demonstrates that the drug is suitable to augment traditional ring vaccination against measles."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Howard wanted some mature horses to augment his fleet of juveniles.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
In other words, will AI be a force that replaces labor, or augments it?
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
The assets complement OCBC’s Indonesia franchise, particularly in wealth management, which is attractive in a low-interest-rate environment as it augments recurring income to cushion earnings as Singapore banks face NIM compression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
And when that movie is up for an Oscar, the prestige factor augments our hope and anticipation.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
Her new position as chargé d’affaires augments a career that includes senior roles in hostage recovery for the FBI and as ambassador to Nicaragua and Honduras during periods characterized by social and political volatility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
“That’s amazing. My mother says they’re superhuman. Their second operation augments all their muscles and rewires their nervous system. And they’re so scary-looking, a lot of people just panic the first time they see one.”
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
The almost 400 interceptors that remain are augmented by a Greek army contingent with a Patriot missile battery and roughly 100 soldiers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
But where augmented surveillance tools might be troubling from a civil liberties perspective, they have unarguable safety benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The urban aesthetic was augmented with a bluesy, funky score by composer Jim Lang, inspired by Thelonious Monk, Vince Guaraldi and Beck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Adapted for TV: There will be the use of augmented reality, athlete headshots, win probabilities and projected finishing positions to develop viewer experience.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
I get to wear my own clothes, meaning T-shirt and khakis or jeans, augmented only by the mandatory hairnet and an apron at my own discretion.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
In an interview with AFP last month, Banga said the private capital should be seen as augmenting, not replacing, development financing and that it is needed to address the developing world's vast financial needs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Preservation was part of the conversation when the two connected, but both were also focused on revitalization and augmenting the structure’s old-world charms with something fresh and modern.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
Over the past several years, Uber has teamed up with at least 21 companies to work on augmenting its business with autonomous cars, trucks and delivery robots.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 20, 2026
So the use cases that I’m seeing now are much more about leaning in, creating opportunities, reducing friction, augmenting human labor and making people more and more effective.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
Diminishing or augmenting chords does strange things to the way they behave.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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