increase the payments

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "increase the payments" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing financial transactions, agreements, or budgets where the amount of money being paid is being raised. Example: "Due to the rising costs of living, we have decided to increase the payments for our employees."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

Ms. Ignagni is also adamant that Congress increase the payments to plans under the current program.

The New York Times

Mrs. Kerr, however, asked Judge Edward B. Huntington to increase the payments -- and after the hearing in 1996 he complied, raising them 45percentto to $4,806.

The New York Times

Nursing homes are lobbying Congress to increase the payments they receive under Medicare and Medicaid, or at least to block cuts in Medicare scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1.

The New York Times

His solution is to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit, which the US government currently gives to millions of low-income workers, with the view that as wages increase the payments go down.

Independent

Mr. Vilsack said the rules could increase the payments farmers receive for their livestock or poultry, but added that those higher costs would not necessarily be passed on to consumers, who might benefit from increased competition.

The New York Times

France said today that Libya and the families of 170 people killed in the terrorist attack on a French airliner in 1989 had reached a tentative compensation agreement after a pledge by the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, to increase the payments.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

43 human-written examples

The Joint Policy Committee, representing advertisers and their agencies, has proposed to increase the payment for filming a commercial to $500, followed by a flat rate of $2,575 for 13 weeks of appearances on network TV.

The New York Times

This ranking emerges because high offers are more common (especially among high value people in the heterogeneous environment) in the uniform price mechanisms, where higher offers only increase the payment when needed for provision.

Journal of Public Economics

A rise to 3percentt would increase the payment to $81 billion.

Huffington Post

Instead of increasing the payments from $28,000 to $90,000, Justice Rosalyn Richter reduced them to $20,000.

The New York Times

Moreover, he appeared to report to government departments in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and to officials who increased the payments after he met the two hijackers.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about financial matters, be specific about the context in which you are using the phrase "increase the payments". For instance, specify who is increasing the payments, who is receiving them, and the reason for the increase.

Common error

Avoid using passive voice when you can use active voice. For example, instead of saying "The payments were increased by the company", say "The company increased the payments". This makes the sentence more direct and clear.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "increase the payments" functions as a verb phrase where 'increase' is the transitive verb and 'the payments' is the direct object. This construction describes the action of raising the amount of money disbursed.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "increase the payments" is a grammatically correct and usable expression that clearly indicates a rise in the amount of money being paid, as confirmed by Ludwig. Primarily found in News & Media and Science contexts, it maintains a neutral register suitable for professional discussions. While alternatives like "raise the payments" or "boost the payments" offer similar meanings, "increase the payments" provides a straightforward way to communicate this financial adjustment. To avoid ambiguity, it's best to specify the context of who, why, and how payments are being increased. Remember to favor active voice constructions for clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

raise the payments

Replaces "increase" with "raise", a synonym, keeping the same structure and meaning.

boost the payments

Substitutes "increase" with "boost", implying a more significant rise in payments.

augment the payments

Replaces "increase" with "augment", suggesting a more gradual or incremental rise in payments.

enhance the payments

Uses "enhance" instead of "increase", focusing on improving the value or amount of payments.

escalate the payments

Substitutes "increase" with "escalate", indicating a rapid or stepped increase in payments.

hike the payments

Replaces "increase" with "hike", suggesting a sudden and substantial increase in payments.

elevate the payments

Substitutes "increase" with "elevate", implying a formal or significant increase in payments.

increment the payments

Uses "increment" instead of "increase", focusing on adding small amounts to the payments.

uplift the payments

Replaces "increase" with "uplift", suggesting a positive change that brings payments to a higher level.

expand the payments

Substitutes "increase" with "expand", indicating the payments are growing in amount.

FAQs

How can I use "increase the payments" in a sentence?

You can use "increase the payments" to describe a situation where the amount of money being paid is raised, for example, "The company decided to "increase the payments" to its suppliers to ensure timely delivery of goods".

What's a more formal way to say "increase the payments"?

A more formal alternative to "increase the payments" could be to "augment the payments" or "elevate the payments". For example, "The board approved a measure to "augment the payments" to shareholders".

Which is correct, "increase the payment" or "increase the payments"?

Both "increase the payment" and "increase the payments" can be correct, depending on the context. "Increase the payment" refers to increasing a single payment, while "increase the payments" refers to increasing multiple payments or a series of payments.

What are some situations where you might need to "increase the payments"?

Situations requiring you to "increase the payments" might include adjusting salaries to account for inflation, raising dividends to shareholders, or increasing government subsidies to support a particular industry.