Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To raise to a more desirable or more excellent quality or condition; make better.
  • intransitive verb To increase the productivity or value of (land or property).
  • intransitive verb To become better.
  • intransitive verb To make beneficial additions or changes.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To approve; prove; test.
  • To make better; ameliorate the condition of; increase in value, excellence, capability, estimation, or the like; bring into a better, higher, more desirable, or more profitable state: as, to improve the mind by study; to improve the breeds of animals; to improve land by careful tillage.
  • To turn to advantage or account; use profitably; make use of: as, to improve an opportunity; to improve the occasion.
  • To increase in force or amount; intensify in any respect.
  • To grow better in any way; become more excellent or more favorable; advance in goodness, knowledge, wisdom, amount, value, etc.: as, his health is improving; the price of cotton improves daily.
  • To increase; grow.
  • To disprove; prove false; refute.
  • To disapprove; censure; blame.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To make better; to increase the value or good qualities of; to ameliorate by care or cultivation.
  • transitive verb To use or employ to good purpose; to make productive; to turn to profitable account; to utilize
  • transitive verb rare To advance or increase by use; to augment or add to; -- said with reference to what is bad.
  • intransitive verb To grow better; to advance or make progress in what is desirable; to make or show improvement.
  • intransitive verb To advance or progress in bad qualities; to grow worse.
  • intransitive verb To increase; to be enhanced; to rise in value.
  • intransitive verb to make useful additions or amendments to, or changes in; to bring nearer to perfection.
  • transitive verb obsolete To disprove or make void; to refute.
  • transitive verb obsolete To disapprove; to find fault with; to reprove; to censure.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive to make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something)
  • verb intransitive to become better

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb get better
  • verb to make better

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English improwen, to enclose land for cultivation, from Anglo-Norman emprouwer, to turn to profit : Old French en-, causative pref. (from Latin in-; see in–) + Old French prou, profit (from Late Latin prōde, advantageous; see proud).]

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