Improve Was Originally About Making Land Pay
To improve is to make something better. The word began in property law, meaning to turn land to profit.
To improve is to make something better than it was. The origin is commercial rather than moral: Anglo-French *emprower* meant to turn to profit, from *prou*, advantage. To improve land was to make it yield more, and the sense of general betterment grew out of that.
- To make or become better. *The weather improved.*
- To increase the value of property. *Improved land.*
- Improve on — do better than. *Hard to improve on that.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | improve | Try to improve. |
| Past | improved | Much improved. |
| Noun | improvement | A big improvement. |
| Plural | improvements | Home improvements. |
| Opposite | worsen | Conditions worsened. |
How it is used in a sentence
- His handwriting has improved.Improve often takes no object.
- They improved the design after testing.With an object.
- You will not improve on that recipe.Improve on, not improve upon, in most modern writing.
Improvement words
- Improve — make better generally
- Enhance — raise the quality of something already good
- Refine — improve by removing what is unwanted
- Upgrade — replace with a better version
- Optimise — adjust for the best possible result
From Anglo-French *emprower*, to turn to profit, from Old French *prou*, profit, from Latin *prode*, advantageous — the same root as *proud* by a long and disputed path.
Improve on or improve upon?
Both are correct. On is more common today; upon sounds more formal.
What are home improvements?
Alterations that raise a property's value or usefulness, which keeps the word's original commercial sense alive.