worsen

Everyday

1. To get worse: the storm worsened during the night. tree →
2. To make something worse: shouting will only worsen the problem. tree →

In the lessons

In health and safety it tells you when to get help (if your cough worsens, see a doctor; if the weather worsens, turn back). In news and geography it describes problems like pollution or drought getting worse. In maths and graphs, results that worsen go down (or a time goes up). Phrases: worsen over time, steadily worsen, the situation worsened.

Examples

• The weather worsened, so we left the beach. tree →
• If the pain worsens, go to the doctor. tree →
• Scratching a bite only worsens the itch. tree →
• The traffic worsened after the crash. tree →
• Air pollution worsens when there is no wind. tree →
• His test score worsened from 18 to 14. tree →
• (formal) The situation subsequently worsened. tree →

Note

Regular verb: worsened, worsening. It is a bit more formal than "get worse". The opposite is improve. In maths, a worsening score falls, but a worsening race time rises — think about what "worse" means for each quantity.