Meaning & use
supercharge
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To make something much more powerful, effective, or intense than it was before.
Grammar: Takes an object: supercharge the economy.
Patterns
- supercharge something
- supercharge something with something
The new coach hopes to supercharge the team's performance.
Adding a star player could supercharge the club's chances of winning the league.
The company supercharged its growth by entering new markets.
verbtransitivetechnical
To supply an engine with extra air so that it produces more power.
Grammar: Takes an object: supercharge the engine.
Patterns
- supercharge an engine
They supercharged the engine to get more speed from it.
A supercharged engine can produce more power than a normal one.
Word forms
| third person singular | supercharges |
|---|---|
| past tense | supercharged |
| past participle | supercharged |
| present participle | supercharging |
Common combinations
- supercharge growth
- Tax cuts helped supercharge growth in the region.
- supercharge the economy
- The government hopes the plan will supercharge the economy.
- supercharge performance
- The update is designed to supercharge performance on older phones.
- supercharged engine
- The car has a supercharged engine that delivers impressive speed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- boost
- Boost means to increase or improve something, often by a moderate amount; supercharge suggests a much stronger, dramatic increase.
- enhance
- Enhance means to improve the quality or value of something; supercharge is more about adding power or intensity.
- turbocharge
- Turbocharge is very close in meaning but usually refers specifically to using a turbocharger in an engine.
Opposites
Word family
- supercharger noun
- A device that forces more air into an engine to increase its power.
Practice
The new marketing campaign really ______ sales last quarter.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'supercharged' fits because the sentence describes a completed action in the past. 'Supercharging' would need a helping verb like 'was', and 'supercharge' or 'supercharges' do not match the past-time context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “supercharge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.