improve on

verb

variants or improve upon
improved on or improved upon; improving on or improving upon; improves on or improves upon

transitive verb

: to do better than
It's hard to improve on last year's record.

Examples of improve on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Flanagan improves on both De Palma’s film and King’s novel in his treatment of faith, embodied in Carrie’s mother, Margaret White. — ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026 Maybe not the way Santa Margarita, the defending champion, is improving on a weekly basis similar to last season when the Eagles separated themselves and cruised to victory. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 It's just released its Fairbuds 2 wireless earbuds, which can not only be fixed easily, but also improve on the original pair that came out in 2024. — New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026 Blakeman, 71, who won the county executive race in an upset in 2021 and won reelection in 2025, hopes to replicate and improve on Zeldin’s electoral strategy to get within striking distance of Hochul in the closing days of the race. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for improve on

Word History

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of improve on was in 1618

Rhymes for improve on

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Browse Nearby Words

improvements and betterments insurance
improve on
improver
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Cite this Entry

“Improve on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improve%20on. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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