Meanings
verbenhance (third-person singular simple present enhances, present participle enhancing, simple past and past participle enhanced)
present singular third person enhances · participle present enhancing · participle past enhanced · past enhanced · alternative obsolete inhance · alternative obsolete enhaunce · alternative obsolete inhaunce
- To augment or make something greater.
A hereditary monarch relies on pomp and ceremony, which enhance the respect for the institution
2000, Mordecai Roshwald, Liberty: Its Meaning and Scope, page 1551 more example
They had no character to preserve, except for courage; and perhaps the reputation of ferocity enhanced the value of their services, in making them feared as well as hated by the people.
1831, Robert Southey, Sir Thomas More: Or Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society, page 214 - To improve something by adding features.
A pom-pom to top off a stocking cap, a fringe to feather the edge of a shawl, tassels to define the points of an afghan, these are just a few of the delightful little goodies that enhance handknit things.
1986, Maggie Righetti, Knitting in Plain English, page 1921 more example
The only silver lining for businesses and local residents was that there was at least an end in sight, and that the new station, once built, would enhance the area and provide improved east-west access for pedestrians.
2025 February 19, Chris Howe, “Euston: a work in progress”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 45 - intransitiveTo be raised up; to grow larger.
A debt enhances rapidly by compound interest.
- medicineTo take up contrast agent (for an organ, tissue, or lesion).
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinin
- Vulgar Latin*inaltiāre“raise”
- Anglo-Normananhauncer“enhance, raise”
- Middle Englishenhauncen, anhaunsen
- Englishenhance
From Middle English enhauncen, anhaunsen, from Anglo-Norman anhauncer (“enhance, raise”), from Vulgar Latin *inaltiāre (“raise”), derived from Latin in + altus (“high”). The /h/ in Old French was taken from haut (“high”), where it resulted from Frankish influence.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian увелича́вам, повишавам
- увелича́вам (uveličávam)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- повишавам (povišavam)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- подобря́вам (podobrjávam)improve something by adding features
Catalan augmentar, millorar
- augmentaraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- millorarimprove something by adding features
Chinese Mandarin 改善
- 改善 (gǎishàn)improve something by adding features
Dutch vergroten, uitbreiden
- vergrotenaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- uitbreidenaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- uitbreidenimprove something by adding features
- verbeterenimprove something by adding features
Esperanto pliigi, plibonigi
- pliigiaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- plibonigiimprove something by adding features
Finnish parantaa, parantaa
- parantaaaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- parantaaimprove something by adding features
French augmenter, accroître
- augmenteraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- accroîtreaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- améliorerimprove something by adding features
German erhöhen, vergrößern
- erhöhenaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- vergrößernaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- ergänzenaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- verstärkenaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- verbessernimprove something by adding features
- meliorisierenimprove something by adding features
Italian accrescere, intensificare
- accrescereaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- intensificareaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- incrementareaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- avanzareaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- sviluppareaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- rafforzareaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- favorireaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- migliorareimprove something by adding features
- arricchireimprove something by adding features
- potenziareimprove something by adding features
- progredireimprove something by adding features
- valorizzareimprove something by adding features
Māori whakamarohi, whakangako
- whakamarohiaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- whakangakoaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- whakarākaiimprove something by adding features
- whakarāwaiimprove something by adding features
- whakangakoimprove something by adding features
Persian بهتر کردن, اضافه کردن
- بهتر کردن (behtar kardan)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- اضافه کردن (ezâfe kardan)improve something by adding features
- افزودن (afzudan)improve something by adding features
Polish usprawnić, polepszyć
- usprawnićaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- polepszyćaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- ulepszyćaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- poprawiaćimprove something by adding features
- poprawićimprove something by adding features
- polepszaćimprove something by adding features
- polepszyćimprove something by adding features
- rozszerzyćimprove something by adding features
Portuguese aumentar, melhorar
- aumentaraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- melhorarimprove something by adding features
Russian увели́чивать, увели́чить
- увели́чивать (uvelíčivatʹ)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- увели́чить (uvelíčitʹ)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- повыша́ть (povyšátʹ)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- повы́сить (povýsitʹ)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- уси́ливать (usílivatʹ)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- уси́лить (usílitʹ)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- улучша́ть (ulučšátʹ)improve something by adding features
- улу́чшить (ulúčšitʹ)improve something by adding features
Spanish embonar, jerarquizar
- embonaraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- jerarquizaraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- acrecentaraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- aventajaraugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- realzarimprove something by adding features
- embonarimprove something by adding features
- jerarquizarimprove something by adding features
- aventajarimprove something by adding features
Swedish förbättra
- förbättraimprove something by adding features
Turkish artırmak, geliştirmek
- artırmakaugment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- geliştirmekimprove something by adding features
- iyileştirmekimprove something by adding features
Ukrainian збільшувати, покращувати
- збільшувати (zbilʹšuvaty)augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate
- покращувати (pokraščuvaty)improve something by adding features
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with enhance
FrancefinancedanceadvancechanceromanceglanceentranceHanslancestanceVanceAfrikaansPenzanceexpanseperchancerancehancemanseaskanceprancepsytrancehanseavaunce
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
enhance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enhance
MLA
“enhance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enhance. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “enhance,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enhance.
Source: enhance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.