What's the difference between improve and strengthen?

Improve


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To disprove or make void; to refute.
  • (v. t.) To disapprove; to find fault with; to reprove; to censure; as, to improve negligence.
  • (v. t.) To make better; to increase the value or good qualities of; to ameliorate by care or cultivation; as, to improve land.
  • (v. t.) To use or employ to good purpose; to make productive; to turn to profitable account; to utilize; as, to improve one's time; to improve his means.
  • (v. t.) To advance or increase by use; to augment or add to; -- said with reference to what is bad.
  • (v. i.) To grow better; to advance or make progress in what is desirable; to make or show improvement; as, to improve in health.
  • (v. i.) To advance or progress in bad qualities; to grow worse.
  • (v. i.) To increase; to be enhanced; to rise in value; as, the price of cotton improves.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) These data indicate a steady improvement in laboratory performance over the last 10 years.
  • (2) Use of the improved operative technique contributed to reduction in number of complications.
  • (3) With UVB treatment clinical improvement was achieved, and a less pronounced decrease in epidermal LC was noticed.
  • (4) This clinical improvement was also associated with a decrease of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p less than 0.001), decrease of C-reactive protein (p less than 0.0001) and with improvement of anaemia (p less than 0.05).
  • (5) In order to control noise- and vibration-caused diseases it was necessary not only to improve machines' quality and service conditions but also to pay special attention to the choice of operators and to the quality of monitoring their adaptation process.
  • (6) Symptomatic improvement was obtained in 14 of the 15 hands, and sensory-evoked response improved in 13 hands.
  • (7) McDonald said cutting better deals with suppliers and improving efficiency as well as raising some prices had only partly offset the impact of sterling’s fall against the dollar.
  • (8) Systemic corticosteroids (i.e., prednisone, prednisolone or methylprednisolone) have improved the survival rate of patients with moderate and severe ulcerative colitis.
  • (9) The active agents modestly improved treadmill exercise duration time until 1 mm ST segment depression (3%), and only propranolol and diltiazem had significant effects.
  • (10) A segment of vas deferens was transplanted to the contralateral deferens with the intention of improving treatment for certain cases of infertility caused by obstruction.
  • (11) Blood pressure control was marginally improved during the study and it is thought possible that better patient compliance might explain this.
  • (12) Since interferon alfa-2b (Intron A) is useful as a single agent, it is important to determine if interferon can be combined with standard chemotherapy to improve both response and survival in patients with cancer.
  • (13) Patients had improved sitting balance and endurance after surgery.
  • (14) However, further improvement of culture systems is needed for active replication of HBV in vitro.
  • (15) Symptoms, particularly colicky abdominal pain, improved during the period of chelation therapy.
  • (16) Her muscle weakness and hyperCKemia markedly improved by corticosteroid therapy, suggesting that the diagnosis was compatible with polymyositis (PM).
  • (17) An intact post-injury marriage was associated with improvement in education.
  • (18) A review is presented concerning the development of new neuroimaging techniques in the last decade which have improved the diagnostic exploration of patients with spinal cord injuries, including studies of possible sequelae.
  • (19) Akinetic symptoms were improved in 7 of 10 patients.
  • (20) What we’re doing is designed to improve people’s lives.” "I don't see race, colour or creed, and neither do my children," he added.

Strengthen


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; as, to strengthen a limb, a bridge, an army; to strengthen an obligation; to strengthen authority.
  • (v. t.) To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.
  • (v. i.) To grow strong or stronger.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Schneiderlin, valued at an improbable £27m, and the currently injured Jay Rodriguez are wanted by their former manager Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, but the chairman Ralph Krueger has apparently called a halt to any more outgoings, saying: “They are part of the core that we have decided to keep at Southampton.” He added: “Jay Rodriguez and Morgan Schneiderlin are not for sale and they will be a part of our club as we enter the new season.” The new manager Ronald Koeman has begun rebuilding by bringing in Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pellè from the Dutch league and Krueger said: “We will have players coming in, we will make transfers to strengthen the squad.
  • (2) Now, as the Senate takes up a weakened House bill along with the House's strengthened backdoor-proof amendment, it's time to put focus back on sweeping reform.
  • (3) In order for the club to grow and sustain its ability to be a competitive force in the Premier League, the board has made a number of decisions which will strengthen the club, support the executive team, manager and his staff and enhance shareholder return.
  • (4) The former Stoke City manager Pulis had reportedly been left frustrated by the club failing to push through deals for various players he targeted to strengthen the Palace squad.
  • (5) Moreover, it allows the clinician to be alert towards findings which could be missed when not carefully searched for and which may be useful to raise or strengthen the suspicion of this disease.
  • (6) Possible explanations of the clinical gains include 1) psychological encouragement, 2) improvements of mechanical efficiency, 3) restoration of cardiovascular fitness, thus breaking a vicous circle of dyspnoea, inactivity and worsening dyspnoea, 4) strengthening of the body musculature, thus reducing the proportion of anaerobic work, 5) biochemical adaptations reducing glycolysis in the active tissues, and 6) indirect responses to such factors as group support, with advice on smoking habits, breathing patterns and bronchial hygiene.
  • (7) The appointment of the mayor of London's brother, who formally becomes a Cabinet Office minister, is one of a series of moves designed to strengthen the political operation in Downing Street and to patch up the prime minister's frayed links with the Conservative party.
  • (8) It added that the crisis had highlighted significant weaknesses in financial regulation, with further measures needed to strengthen supervision.
  • (9) By its pragmatic conception, modifications obtained by psychoactive agents are used (antidepressants of the group imipramine and IMAO, classical benzodiazepines and alprazolam, provocation controlled in laboratory) in order to strengthen innovating hypotheses and allow to elaborate useful treatment strategies for neuroses.
  • (10) These observations further strengthen our model for congenital transmission of T. pallidum during pregnancy.
  • (11) Discussions will cover international efforts to strengthen Ukraine's economy and energy security and help with constitutional reforms, including next month's presidential election.
  • (12) The induction of donor-type RCS during the GVHR strengthens the concept of lymphomagenesis through persistent stimulation with antigen(s).
  • (13) Progress in orthognathic surgery as well as the special methods now available for proper setting of osteotomic segments, diagnostic aids and therapeutic possibilities of orthodontics have considerably strengthened the case today for giving adults a combined treatment.
  • (14) Strengthening of the Montreal Protocol is recently being negotiated in London in 1990 in order to achieve further reductions of the regulated CFCs and to include possibly more substances.
  • (15) Results with the model strengthen the hypothesis that tetraethylammonium (TEA) acts on both the maximum potassium conductance (gK) and the mechanism of sodium conductance inactivation (Tauh) to lengthen the action potential as observed on the Ranvier node (fig.
  • (16) "At first sight, today's announcement of an independent commissioner is a missed opportunity to strengthen our co-ordinated approach to addressing these very serious matters.
  • (17) This relationship was strengthened when the results obtained in this study were combined with those from a previous study which examined the relationship between SCE induction and cell survival in Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to simple alkylating agents.
  • (18) Any ruling from the court that strengthens suspicions that Zardari may have had a hand in the memo could be politically damaging to him.
  • (19) "The government will have a policy of zero tolerance for violence against women, and will strengthen the criminal justice system for its effective implementation," the president told a joint sitting of parliament.
  • (20) With the first prosecutions under way in the UK and Guinea-Bissau , an increased focus on strengthening the law in Kenya , and a rare conviction in Uganda , positive moves are being made in several countries to implement laws that ban female genital mutilation (FGM).