Dictionary

enhance en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (UK) audio
• /ɛnˈhans/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /ɪnˈhans/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
• /ɛnˈhɑːns/ (Received-Pronunciation, Southern-England)
• /ɛnˈhæns/ (General-American)
• /ɪnˈhæns/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ɪnˈhɑːns/ (Received-Pronunciation, Southern-England)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (obsolete) To lift, raise up.
   • nought aghast, his mightie hand enhaunst: / The stroke down from her head vnto her shoulder glaunst. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
2. To augment or make something greater.
   • 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:
   • A hereditary monarch relies on pomp and ceremony, which enhance the respect for the institution 2000, Mordecai Roshwald, Liberty: Its Meaning and Scope, page 155:
3. To improve something by adding features.
   • 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:
   • 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 192:
4. (intransitive) To be raised up; to grow larger.
   • A debt enhances rapidly by compound interest.
5. To take up contrast agent (for an organ, tissue, or lesion).

Forms

Antonyms

dehance

Deriveds

enhancement · bioenhance · enhancive · enhancer · isoenhance · enhanceosome · enhanceable · hyperenhance · photoenhance · hypoenhance

Synonyms

heighten

Translations (81)

mk по́добри (improve something by adding features) · it accrescere (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · fr accroître (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · fi parantaa (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · pl usprawnić (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · fa افزودن (improve something by adding features) · mi whakamarohi (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · bg увелича́вам (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · pl poprawić (improve something by adding features) · pl rozszerzyć (improve something by adding features) · sv förbättra (improve something by adding features) · de erhöhen (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · it potenziare (improve something by adding features) · es embonar (improve something by adding features) · es acrecentar (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · ru повы́сить (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · es embonar (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · mi whakarākai (improve something by adding features) · pl polepszyć (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · ru увели́чивать (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · pt aumentar (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · de ergänzen (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · de verstärken (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · uk збільшувати (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · tr geliştirmek (improve something by adding features) · it intensificare (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · ca augmentar (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · fa بهتر کردن (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · vo geilükumön (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · de vergrößern (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · vo gudükumön (improve something by adding features) · eo plibonigi (improve something by adding features) · tr artırmak (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · tr iyileştirmek (improve something by adding features) · ca millorar (improve something by adding features) · ru увели́чить (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · nl uitbreiden (improve something by adding features) · bg повишавам (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · it rafforzare (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · it progredire (improve something by adding features) · ru уси́лить (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · es jerarquizar (improve something by adding features) · it migliorare (improve something by adding features) · de verbessern (improve something by adding features) · ru улу́чшить (improve something by adding features) · eo pliigi (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · ru повыша́ть (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · fa اضافه کردن (improve something by adding features) · it favorire (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · nl vergroten (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · es aventajar (improve something by adding features) · uk покращувати (improve something by adding features) · pl polepszać (improve something by adding features) · bg подобря́вам (improve something by adding features) · fi parantaa (improve something by adding features) · de meliorisieren (improve something by adding features) · fr augmenter (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · nl verbeteren (improve something by adding features) · mk уве́личи (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · it sviluppare (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · nl uitbreiden (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · it valorizzare (improve something by adding features) · mi whakangako (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · pl poprawiać (improve something by adding features) · es realzar (improve something by adding features) · es jerarquizar (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · ru улучша́ть (improve something by adding features) · pl polepszyć (improve something by adding features) · it avanzare (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · pl ulepszyć (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · it incrementare (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · mi whakangako (improve something by adding features) · fr améliorer (improve something by adding features) · es aventajar (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · mk увели́чува (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · mi whakarāwai (improve something by adding features) · it arricchire (improve something by adding features) · cmn 改善 (improve something by adding features) · enm enhauncen (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate) · pt melhorar (improve something by adding features) · ru уси́ливать (augment or make something greater — see also augment, boost, upgrade, improve, develop, potentiate)