VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

sharp increase

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌʃɑːp ˈɪŋkriːs/
US/ˌʃɑːrp ˈɪŋkriːs/

Meanings

  1. phrasecountable

    A sudden and large rise in an amount, price, or number.

    Grammar: Countable: say a sharp increase or sharp increases; the thing that rises follows in.

    Patterns

    • a sharp increase in something
    • sharp increases in something
    • see/show/report a sharp increase

    There was a sharp increase in bus fares last month.

    The report shows a sharp increase in online sales during the winter.

    A sharp increase in visitors forced the museum to hire more staff.

  2. phrasebefore a noun

    Used before a noun to describe a rise that is sudden and large.

    Grammar: Comes directly before a noun: a sharp increase in demand, not 'an increase sharp'.

    Patterns

    • a sharp increase in + noun
    • the sharp increase in + noun

    The sharp increase in fuel costs worried small businesses.

    Officials blamed the sharp increase in waiting times on staff shortages.

Word forms

pluralsharp increases

Common combinations

a sharp increase in prices
Shoppers complained about the sharp increase in prices after the holiday.
a sharp increase in demand
The heat wave caused a sharp increase in demand for fans and air conditioners.
report a sharp increase
The bank reported a sharp increase in customers opening savings accounts.
a sharp increase in costs
A sharp increase in costs forced the factory to raise its prices.
a sharp increase in the number of
There has been a sharp increase in the number of people cycling to work.

Synonyms and how they differ

steep rise
Very close in meaning; steep often suggests a line on a graph going up quickly, while sharp stresses the suddenness of the change.
surge
A surge is a strong, often short-lived rush upward, used especially for demand or emotion, whereas a sharp increase is a more neutral, factual description.
jump
Jump is more informal and suggests a single quick movement, so it suits casual speech better than a written report.

Opposites

sharp decreasesharp dropsharp fall

Word family

increase noun
A general rise in amount or level, without saying it is sudden or large.
increase verb
To become larger in amount or number, or to make something larger.
increasingly adverb
More and more over time; used before adjectives, as in increasingly difficult.

Commonly confused: sharp increase or sharply increase? sharp increase or sharp rise?

sharp increase vs sharply increase

This is a verb phrase (prices sharply increased), while sharp increase is a noun phrase; keep sharp before the noun and use the adverb sharply with the verb.

sharp increase vs sharp rise

Almost the same, but rise is usually used for numbers or levels going up, while increase can also be used for things you can count, such as customers or sales.

Practice

Which sentence uses 'sharp increase' correctly?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sharp increase”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words