Meaning & use
augment
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Meanings
verbtransitiveformal
To make something bigger, stronger, or more complete by adding something extra to it.
Grammar: Always takes an object: augment your income, augment a system.
Patterns
- augment something with something
- augment something by doing something
She took evening work to augment her income.
The museum augmented its collection with several loans.
Teachers can augment lessons with short videos.
verbintransitiveformalrare
To increase or grow in size, number, or strength.
Grammar: Rare and formal without an object: sales augmented.
Patterns
- something augments
The river augmented after the snow melted.
As demand augments, prices tend to rise.
Our worries augmented as the deadline approached.
verbtransitivecomputing
To add digital information or graphics to a real-world view or to improve a system with additional data or tools.
Grammar: Often used in technology: augmented reality.
Patterns
- augment reality with something
- augment data
The app augments the camera view with arrows.
Engineers augmented the training set with new images.
Doctors use scans to augment what they see in surgery.
Word forms
| third person singular | augments |
|---|---|
| past tense | augmented |
| past participle | augmented |
| -ing form | augmenting |
Common combinations
- augment your income
- Many students augment their income with part-time jobs.
- augment with
- The sauce is augmented with fresh herbs.
- augmented reality
- Augmented reality games place characters in your street.
- augment the team
- The company hired two engineers to augment the team.
- augment supplies
- Donations augmented the village's food supplies.
- greatly augment
- Extra funding will greatly augment the program.
Synonyms and how they differ
- increase
- Increase is neutral and everyday, while augment suggests adding something on top, and sounds formal.
- supplement
- Supplement stresses adding something to fill a gap, whereas augment stresses making the total larger.
- boost
- Boost is informal and means giving a quick lift, unlike the more careful augment.
- enhance
- Enhance means improving quality, while augment means adding quantity or extent.
Opposites
Word family
- augmentation noun
- the act of making bigger or an addition
- augmented adjective
- made larger or improved by adding
- augmentative adjective
- tending to increase
- auxiliary adjective
- giving extra help; related by root
Commonly confused: augment or argument? augment or august?
augment vs argument
An argument is a disagreement or a line of reasoning, not an addition, though the words look slightly alike.
augment vs august
Augustus-based August is a month, and august as an adjective means dignified; neither means to add.
Practice
The library plans to ___ its collection with donated books.
Choose one answer.
Augment means to make bigger by adding, which suits donated books. Abolish means to end, absorb means to take in and avoid does not fit the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “augment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.