# increasing

/ˌɪnˈkɹisɪŋ/ (US) · /ɪnkɹˈiːsɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/increasing
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. growing in amount

adjective · CEFR A2

becoming larger in number, amount, or level.

For teachers: describing a state of continuous growth or expansion in quantity, intensity, or degree.

- There is an increasing number of people using electric cars in the city.
- The company faced increasing pressure from shareholders to improve its environmental record before the annual general meeting.

Usage: Usually placed before a noun to describe a trend.

### 3. the process of growth

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

the act or process of something getting bigger.

For teachers: the gerund form of the verb, functioning as a noun to describe the process of augmentation.

- The increasing of the budget allowed the team to hire more staff.
- The steady increasing of taxes over the last decade has led to significant public debate regarding fiscal policy.

Usage: Often follows 'the' and is followed by 'of'.

## Examples

- The company is increasing its prices next month.
- The city is increasing the number of bus routes to help people get to work more easily.
- By increasing the frequency of quality control checks, the factory managed to reduce the number of defective units reaching the final assembly line.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.