1
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
as the war between the two countries escalated, it threatened to become a global conflict
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to accelerate
to make greater in size, amount, or number
the president promised to escalate the government's program to combat the dreaded disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of escalate
The potential for an escalating trade war and other supply chain disruptions threaten to drive up inflation as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Wednesday.
—
Joann Muller, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025
House Democrats are escalating their attacks on Elon Musk‘s efforts to gut federal agencies and spending, trying not to get distracted by President Donald Trump’s pitch to own the Gaza Strip.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Feb. 2025
This advancement allows our vehicles to safely handle new situations dynamically on the road without the escalating costs required to train and build ever-larger models.
—Edwin Olson, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2025
Why This Matters The fires in Baja California closely resemble those in Los Angeles, underscoring the escalating wildfire risks across the southwestern region of North America.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for escalate 
Joann Muller, Axios, 5 Feb. 2025
House Democrats are escalating their attacks on Elon Musk‘s efforts to gut federal agencies and spending, trying not to get distracted by President Donald Trump’s pitch to own the Gaza Strip.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Feb. 2025
This advancement allows our vehicles to safely handle new situations dynamically on the road without the escalating costs required to train and build ever-larger models.
—Edwin Olson, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2025
Why This Matters The fires in Baja California closely resemble those in Los Angeles, underscoring the escalating wildfire risks across the southwestern region of North America.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
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Finally, keep in mind that eating more beans is hardly the only way to increase your fiber tolerance.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
7 Feb. 2025
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So there’s an urge to call those episodes something, and thanks to Community and TV Tropes and the increasing ubiquity of online TV discourse, the term bottle episode has been floating around, ready for the (inaccurate) taking!—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The demonstration was organized by the service workers' union ver.di, with participants marching through the streets around 10:30 a.m. when the suspect's vehicle overtook a police escort, accelerated, and struck the crowd from behind, police said.—
Security & Defense Reporter Ellie Cook , reporting from Munich,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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The investment helps to accelerate Mikuni’s goal of expanding to 50 locations by its 50th anniversary, Arai said in a news release announcing the deal.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The average tariff on all U.S. imports would rise from less than 3% to about 20%, Ashworth estimated.—
Paul Davidson,
USA TODAY,
17 Feb. 2025
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Heavy rain continued to produce serious flooding across parts of the Southern United States on Sunday, where rapidly rising floodwaters inundated roadways and spurred some evacuations.—
Daniel Amarante,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Immigrant advocates have pushed to shore up those protections with a federal bill that would expand visa eligibility for workers cooperating with regulators to expose labor violations, so far without success.—
Emily Alpert Reyes,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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Look, $100 million on initiatives like expanding atheism in Nepal.—
Linda Qiu,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The station agent suffered a gash to her face, swelling and pain.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2025
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Dairy may cause a serious allergic reaction such as hives, swelling, and trouble breathing (anaphylaxis).—
Allison Herries,
Verywell Health,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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On the water, drone boats and robo-subs are augmenting the firepower of more traditional, more expensive ships.—
Colin Demarest,
Axios,
5 Feb. 2025
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The mid-2010s Instagram vibe is augmented by the floods of emoji or comments that crowd the screen as Belle and Milla drink in the attention or shrink from criticism.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Such measures risk destabilizing global supply networks, straining reliant industries, and intensifying geopolitical tensions.—
Michaela Rychetska and Aissa Dearing,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Feb. 2025
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That controversy intensified after West ran a commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX that aired in select markets including Los Angeles and directed viewers to the Yeezy site.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, those two recommendations affirmed CTU’s position that despite claims to the contrary, the district has the revenue to boost salaries and staffing as the union proposed, union officials said at a Wednesday news conference.—
Ikram Mohamed,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2025
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Earth’s surface has now been so warm for so much of the past two years that scientists are examining whether something else in the planet’s chemistry might have changed, something that is boosting temperatures beyond what carbon emissions alone can explain.—
Raymond Zhong,
New York Times,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near escalate
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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