augment
gb/ɔɡmˈɛnt/ us/ɔɡmˈɛnt/
C1
English
~ 8400
növel, bővít, augmentum
VERB
C1
FORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
to augment [something] (with [something])
The company plans to augment its workforce with several hundred new employees.
A vállalat azt tervezi, hogy több száz új alkalmazottal bővíti a munkaerő-állományát.
They used part-time consultants to augment the core research team during the busy season.
A legforgalmasabb időszakban részmunkaidős tanácsadókat alkalmaztak, hogy bővítsék az alapkutató csapatot.
Online courses can augment traditional classroom teaching by offering extra practice.
The city is seeking to augment its budget with additional federal funding.
We installed solar panels to augment the power supplied by the main grid.
Learner examples
The school wants to augment its library with more e-books.
Az iskola több e-könyvvel szeretné bővíteni a könyvtárát.
He took a second job to augment his income.
Másodállást vállalt, hogy növelje a jövedelmét.
They use volunteer workers to augment the small staff.
New tools can augment the doctors’ ability to find the illness.
The app augments the service by giving live updates.
Common mistake:
Learners often use "augment" in very casual speech where "increase" or "grow" would sound more natural. "Augment" is more formal and is common in writing, business, and academic contexts. Another mistake is saying "augment up" or "augment more"; the verb itself already includes the idea of increase, so you should say "augment sales" not "augment up sales".
Meaning
to make larger or greater
Collocations
augment income
|augment staff
|augment capacity
|augment resources
|augment data
|augment benefits
Synonyms
increase (Most general and common word; does not suggest formality or the idea of adding something in a careful way.)
|
enhance (Focuses more on improving quality, not just making something larger in amount.)
|
expand (Often suggests growth in size, range, or scope, while 'augment' often implies adding something extra to support or complete.)
Antonyms
reduce (Means to make something smaller in size or amount, the opposite of making it larger or greater.)
|
diminish (Means to lessen in strength, size, or importance, the opposite of augmenting something.)
Themes
business
|technology
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make something bigger or better, usually by adding more to it.
To make something larger, stronger, or more effective, especially by adding to what is already there.
VERB
C2
TECHNICAL
2
bővít
C1
Usage pattern:
to augment [a note/interval]
Composers sometimes augment the interval to create greater harmonic tension.
A zeneszerzők néha bővítik a hangközt, hogy nagyobb harmonikus feszültséget hozzanak létre.
If you augment the fifth of this chord, it becomes an augmented triad.
Ha bővíted ennek az akkordnak a kvintjét, bővített hármashangzattá válik.
The melody is later repeated, but the rhythm is augmented so that each note lasts twice as long.
Learner examples
The teacher asked us to augment the interval in this bar.
A tanár azt kérte, hogy bővítsük a hangközt ebben az ütemben.
When you augment the fifth, the chord sounds more tense.
Amikor bővíted a kvintet, az akkord feszültebben szól.
In this part of the song, the rhythm is augmented.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse the general sense of "augment" (to increase) with the specific musical sense. In music, "augment" has precise rules about how the note or interval is changed, so it should only be used when talking about musical structure, not about making the volume louder.
Meaning
to lengthen in music theory
Collocations
augment the interval
|augment a triad
|augment the fifth
|augmented fourth
|augmented fifth
Synonyms
lengthen (General term for making something longer; does not specifically refer to musical intervals or chords.)
Antonyms
diminish (In music, to make an interval smaller, the opposite of augmenting it.)
Themes
music
|art
|arts_entertainment
|education
Definition
To make a musical note or space between notes bigger or longer.
In music theory, to increase the duration of a note or the size of an interval, typically by raising one of its tones by a semitone.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
3
augmentum
C2
The Indo-European augment is preserved in several forms of the Ancient Greek verb.
Az indoeurópai augmentum az ógörög ige több alakjában is fennmaradt.
In Sanskrit, the augment is attached to the verb to mark certain past tenses.
A szanszkritban az augmentum az igéhez kapcsolódik bizonyos múlt idők jelölésére.
Some dialects occasionally drop the augment in fast speech.
Learner examples
The teacher showed us how the Greek augment works.
A tanár megmutatta, hogyan működik a görög augmentum.
In this language, the past tense uses an augment before the verb.
Ebben a nyelvben a múlt időben egy augmentum kerül az ige elé.
Without the augment, the verb has a different meaning.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "augment" in linguistics means any general increase. In this technical sense, it is a fixed grammatical term for a specific vowel or syllable used in certain languages, not just any added sound.
Meaning
a grammatical prefix marking past tense
Collocations
the Greek augment
|Indo-European augment
|syllabic augment
|temporal augment
|loss of the augment
Synonyms
prefix (A more general term for any element added to the beginning of a word; an augment is a special type of verbal prefix with a specific grammatical function.)
Antonyms
deletion (In morphology, the removal of a sound or element, the opposite process of adding an augment.)
Themes
linguistics
|language
|education
|communication
Definition
In some languages, a sound added to the beginning of a verb to show past time.
In historical and Indo-European linguistics, a vowel or syllable added before a verb stem to mark past tense or aspect, as in Ancient Greek and Sanskrit.
Grammar
Dictionary form
augment
IPA
GB/ɔɡmˈɛnt/
US/ɔɡmˈɛnt/
Syllables & stress
aug - ment (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (ment)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: augment
- 3rd Person Singular: augments
- Present Participle: augmenting
- Past: augmented
Word family
Forms
augments
verb
augmenting
verb
augmented
verb
Core family
augmentation
noun C1
Advanced or less common
augmentative
adjective
Expressions
augmented chord
1/ɔɡmˈɛntɪd kˈɔɹd/
fixed phrase
technical
a major chord with a raised fifth
A musical chord that sounds tense because the top note (the fifth) is made a half step higher than in a normal major chord.
Examples
- The piece ends on an augmented chord to create a feeling of suspense.
- Learning how to build an augmented chord is important for understanding basic harmony.
augmented reality
1/ɔɡmˈɛntɪd ɹiˈæləti/
fixed phrase
technical
technology mixing digital and real worlds
Technology that puts computer images, sounds, or information on top of what you see in the real world, often through a phone or special glasses.
Examples
- The game uses augmented reality so that virtual characters appear in your real surroundings.
- Retailers are developing augmented reality apps that let customers see how furniture would look in their homes.