improve on
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words
To do something better than before or better than someone else.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To achieve a better result or quality than a previous performance or existing thing.
"She ran the course in record time, and it will be difficult to improve on that."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B1 neutral
To make something better than its current form by adding or changing elements.
"The engineers worked all night to improve on the original design."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Very common in academic, business, and everyday contexts. Often used in comparisons ('hard to improve on') or challenges ('can you improve on this?'). 'Improve upon' is a more formal variant.
Commonly used with
record performance design score offer result work
Forms
Base
improve on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
improves on
he/she/it
Past simple
improved on
yesterday
Past participle
improved on
have + pp
-ing form
improving on
continuous
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