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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of escalate
This behavior could spark dry grass along the road and escalate into a wildfire.
—
Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025
The report highlights Iran’s escalating reliance on technology to monitor and punish women defying the mandatory dress code.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
The controversy continues to escalate as political and legal battles over DEI policies shape the future of American higher education.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Trump threatens 200% tariff on EU wine, tariffs are pushing away allies; What’s the upside
Robby Soave and Lynda Tran discuss the retaliatory tariffs announced by Canada and E.U., escalating President Trump’s trade war.
—The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025
The report highlights Iran’s escalating reliance on technology to monitor and punish women defying the mandatory dress code.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
The controversy continues to escalate as political and legal battles over DEI policies shape the future of American higher education.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Trump threatens 200% tariff on EU wine, tariffs are pushing away allies; What’s the upside
Robby Soave and Lynda Tran discuss the retaliatory tariffs announced by Canada and E.U., escalating President Trump’s trade war.
—The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
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As Diop improves his shooting touch from outside, his value will only increase.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2025
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Weather experts predict that the tornadoes will increase to a strength of EF4 by Saturday, with hurricane-force winds at a speed of more than 74 mph, CNN reported.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After the combination mixes and ignites in the combustion chamber, the resulting high-pressure gases produce thrust and eventually accelerate the rocket into the hypersonic realm.—
Michael Verdon,
Robb Report,
22 Mar. 2025
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This flywheel is then accelerated even further since Austin is now home to some of the world’s leading investors, like Jim Breyer, the legendary VC who has been on the boards of Dell, Etsy, Facebook, Marvel, Spotify, Wal-Mart, and 21st Century Fox.—
Amir Husain,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The overt reason is that BP’s stock has risen less than other oil majors during 2024.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Economists polled by Dow Jones expected CPI to have risen 0.3% and 2.9%, respectively.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The analyst believes that Costco has the opportunity to expand its warehouse footprint further.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
16 Mar. 2025
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The film, which expanded to top markets including LA, Boston, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Seattle and Phoenix, was still the highest-grossing pic at several top theaters including the Somerville Theatre and the Avalon Theatre in DC.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In some cases, your body may recognize the hyaluronic acid in fillers as a foreign substance that also requires an immune response, leading to swelling, nodules or other inflammatory reactions.—
Leslie Baumann,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
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The body responds with inflammation, causing redness, warmth, swelling, and pain in the affected area.—
Josephine Hessert,
Verywell Health,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This is the first of a new type of rideshare program flying to that orbit that augments SpaceX’s Transporter program that flies to SSO.—
Richard Tribou,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
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The key is using AI to augment decision-making, not replace it.—
Zehra Soysal,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Trump’s hardline approach to deporting immigrants has intensified America’s already-stark partisan divide.—
Brad Heath, Joshua Schneyer, Marisa Taylor, Sarah N. Lynch, Mike Spector,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
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Trump has also intensified efforts to expand the border wall, adding new barriers along the southern border.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team upset Texas A&M in double overtime in the second round of the SEC Tournament yesterday, boosting their chances for an NCAA tournament bid.—
Nicole Cobler,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
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From summarization and translation to conversions and PDF chats, everything is automated to boost processing speed, accuracy, and efficiency.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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