Standard Lemma guide

augment

noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɡmɛnt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɔːɡmənt/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, US: /ˈɔɡmɛnt/ without the cot–caught merger
  • General-American, US: /ˈɔɡmənt/ without the cot–caught merger
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ˈɑɡmɛnt/
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ˈɑɡmənt/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈoːɡment/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɔːɡˈmɛnt/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, US: /ɔɡˈmɛnt/ without the cot–caught merger
  • Atlantic-Canada, General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ɑɡˈmɛnt/
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /oːɡˈment/
  • Queensland Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛnt
  • CMU ARPABET: AO0 G M EH1 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A grammatical prefix

In some languages, a prefix *é- (अ- (a-) in Sanskrit, ἐ- (e-) in Greek) indicating a past tense of a verb.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Indo-European languages

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • The augment is found in Greek, Indo-Iranian, Armenian and Phrygian.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A grammatical prefix

Especially Old Irish, a preverb, usually ro-, used to give a verb a resultative or potential meaning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Celtic languages

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A grammatical prefix

In some languages, an additional vowel prepended to the noun prefix.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Bantu languages

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An increase.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To increase; to make larger or supplement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The money from renting out a spare room can augment a salary.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To grow; to increase; to become greater.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, reflexive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To slow the tempo or meter, e.g. for a dramatic or stately passage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To increase an interval, especially the largest interval in a triad, by a half step (chromatic semitone).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To add an augment to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

enlarge or increase

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The recent speech of the president augmented tensions in the Near East

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: increase

11

verb

Meaning 11

grow or intensify

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The pressure augmented

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: grow

History

Etymology

From Middle English augmenten, from Middle French augmenter, from Old French augmenter, from Late Latin augmentare (“to increase”), from Latin augmentum (“an increase, growth”), from augere (“to increase”).

Across languages

Translations

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: նախահավելված (naxahavelvac) — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Czech: augment — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Dutch: augment — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Finnish: augmentti — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • French: augment — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • German: Augment — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • German: Augmentum — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Ido: augmento — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Lithuanian: augmentas — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Polish: augment — grammar: prefix indicating past tense of verb
  • Bulgarian: увеличавам (uveličavam) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Bulgarian: прибавям (pribavjam) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Catalan: augmentar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Czech: rozšířit — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Czech: zvětšit — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Dutch: vergroten — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Dutch: verhogen — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Dutch: aanvullen — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Finnish: lisätä — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Finnish: kasvattaa — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Finnish: laajentaa — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • French: augmenter — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • German: vergrößern — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • German: erhöhen — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • German: vermehren — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Ancient Greek: αὐξάνω (auxánō) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Ido: augmentar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Italian: aumentare — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Italian: crescere — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Italian: accrescere — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Italian: potenziare — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Japanese: 増やす (fuyasu) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Korean: 증가시키다 (jeunggasikida) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Latin: augeo — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Latin: accumulō — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Lithuanian: padidinti — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Māori: whakakaurahi — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Māori: whakarawaka — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Norwegian: øke — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Portuguese: aumentar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Russian: увели́чивать (uvelíčivatʹ) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Russian: увели́чить (uvelíčitʹ) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Russian: дополня́ть (dopolnjátʹ) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Russian: допо́лнить (dopólnitʹ) — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Spanish: aumentar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Spanish: augmentar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Spanish: embonar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Spanish: jerarquizar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Spanish: acrecentar — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Swedish: öka — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Turkish: çoğaltmak — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Turkish: artırmak — to increase, make larger or supplement
  • Bulgarian: увеличавам се (uveličavam se) — to become greater
  • Catalan: augmentar — to become greater
  • Czech: nabýt — to become greater
  • Czech: vzrůst — to become greater
  • Czech: vyrůst — to become greater
  • Dutch: verhogen — to become greater
  • Finnish: kasvaa — to become greater
  • Finnish: laajeta — to become greater
  • French: s'accroître — to become greater
  • French: s'agrandir — to become greater
  • German: wachsen — to become greater
  • German: zunehmen — to become greater
  • Italian: aumentarsi — to become greater
  • Italian: accrescersi — to become greater
  • Japanese: 大きくなる (ookiku naru) — to become greater
  • Japanese: 増える (fueru) — to become greater
  • Portuguese: aumentar — to become greater
  • Russian: увели́чиваться (uvelíčivatʹsja) — to become greater
  • Russian: увели́читься (uvelíčitʹsja) — to become greater
  • Turkish: çoğalmak — to become greater
  • Turkish: artmak — to become greater
  • Ottoman Turkish: آرتمق (artmak) — to become greater
  • Bulgarian: забавям (zabavjam) — to slow the tempo or meter
  • Catalan: augmentar — to slow the tempo or meter
  • Dutch: vergroten — to slow the tempo or meter
  • Finnish: augmentoida — to slow the tempo or meter
  • Finnish: harventaa — to slow the tempo or meter
  • French: élargir le mouvement — to slow the tempo or meter
  • Catalan: augmentar — to increase an interval by a half step
  • Dutch: vergroten — to increase an interval by a half step
  • Finnish: laajentaa — to increase an interval by a half step
  • French: augmenter l'intervalle — to increase an interval by a half step
  • Italian: aggiungere — to increase an interval by a half step
Real reading context

augment in complete knowledge articles