improve

/im'pru:v/

Thân thiện

The student works hard to improve her drawing skills.

Definition

1. Verb (Transitive):

   • To make something better in quality, condition, or value. It involves enhancing or amending something to a more desirable state.
   • To increase the value or productivity of something, such as land or property.

2. Verb (Intransitive):

   • To become better in quality, condition, or value. It refers to a state of getting better or making progress.

Examples of Usage

• Transitive Verb:

  • The company invested in new software to improve its efficiency.
  • He took a course to improve his public speaking skills.
  • The architect improved the original design by adding more natural light.

• Intransitive Verb:

  • Her health began to improve after she started the new treatment.
  • Relations between the two countries have improved significantly this year.
  • My tennis game is slowly improving with practice.

Advanced Usage

• "Improve on/upon something": To produce or achieve something of a better standard or quality than something else.

  • The sequel improved upon the original film in every way.
  • It's hard to improve on perfection.

• "Improve oneself": To work on developing one's own skills, knowledge, or character.

  • She is always reading and taking classes to improve herself.

Variants and Related Words

• Improvement (noun): The act of improving or the state of being improved; an addition or change that makes something better.

  • The new road system is a great improvement for the city.

• Improver (noun): A person or thing that improves something.

  • This tool is a great time-improver.

Synonyms

• Enhance: To intensify or increase the quality, value, or extent of something.
• Ameliorate: A more formal term meaning to make something bad or unsatisfactory better.
• Upgrade: To raise something to a higher standard, often involving new technology or equipment.
• Refine: To improve something by making small changes, especially to make it more polished or precise.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Improve on/upon: As detailed in 'Advanced Usage', to do or make something better than before.
  • Can you improve on your previous score?

Related Idioms

• "Improve the shining hour": To make good use of one's time; to use time productively.

  • While waiting for the meeting, he improved the shining hour by reviewing his notes.

• "Improve each moment": Similar to the above, emphasizing the productive use of every moment.

  • A true scholar seeks to improve each moment.

Học thuật

Verb

1. get better
   • The weather improved toward evening
2. to make better
   • The editor improved the manuscript with his changes

Từ đồng nghĩa

• better
• ameliorate
• meliorate
• amend