enhance
Formsenhances, enhancing, enhanced
- 1To make something better by adding new parts or features.
Like adding toppings to a plain pizza to make it taste better.
The new update will enhance the app with extra tools.
She enhanced the photo by adding more color and light.
Similarimprove, upgrade, enrich, strengthen, heighten
Oppositeworsen, impair, diminish, degrade
Note
- 2To make something bigger, stronger, or greater than before.
Like turning up the volume to make a sound louder.
Training can enhance your strength over time.
The medal enhanced her reputation among her peers.
Similarheighten, increase, boost, improve, augment
Oppositediminish, reduce, lessen, decrease
Note
- 3To rise up or get bigger.
A debt enhances rapidly by compound interest.
Here, enhances means grows larger, so the debt gets bigger fast.Note
- 4In a medical scan, to take in a special dye that makes a body part stand out more clearly.
Like a sponge soaking up colored water so you can see it better.
The tumor will enhance on the scan after the dye is given.
Healthy tissue enhanced evenly across the whole image.
Note
Less common meaning
- 5To lift something up or raise it higher.
nought aghast, his mightie hand enhaunst: / The stroke down from her head vnto her shoulder glaunst.
1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, enhaunst means lifted or raised up, so he raised his hand.Note
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English enhauncen, which came through Anglo-Norman from a Latin word meaning to raise, built from Latin in + altus meaning high.