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
Just a few hours later, the fighting escalated at Concord’s North Bridge, where American militias pushed back British Regulars.
—
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
The letter that escalated tensions between Harvard and the White House may have been sent by accident, according to reports from The New York Times.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
The order condemns the administration’s position in Abrego Garcia’s case and issues a warning about the consequences of an escalating conflict between the judiciary and executive branches.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
If the tariffs hold, Apple is widely expected to eventually raise the prices on iPhones and other popular products because the Silicon Valley’s supply chain is so heavily concentrated in China, India and other overseas markets caught in the crossfire of the escalating trade war.
—Time, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
The letter that escalated tensions between Harvard and the White House may have been sent by accident, according to reports from The New York Times.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
The order condemns the administration’s position in Abrego Garcia’s case and issues a warning about the consequences of an escalating conflict between the judiciary and executive branches.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
If the tariffs hold, Apple is widely expected to eventually raise the prices on iPhones and other popular products because the Silicon Valley’s supply chain is so heavily concentrated in China, India and other overseas markets caught in the crossfire of the escalating trade war.
—Time, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for escalate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escalate
Verb
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Those unused hours can, however, be converted to service credit to increase their government pensions.—
Melody Gutierrez,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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What Murray did in the second half was increase his aggression off the dribble.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In November 2024, the renowned pastor suffered a massive heart attack while delivering a sermon on stage at the church, which was a frightening moment that, according to church insiders, accelerated long-standing plans for succession.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
27 Apr. 2025
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Even then—before the rest of the world went AI-crazy—the CEO of Google DeepMind had a stark warning about the accelerating pace of AI progress.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These luxe hydrogel eye masks, infused with antioxidant-rich colloidal gold and soothing rose damask extract, brighten and boost radiance in the delicate under-eye area.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
17 Apr. 2025
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Shortly after, Wood posted to her story again, this time sharing an April 2022 post from trans British artist Travis Alabanza that highlighted the attention put on trans people rather than other issues, such as the climate crisis or rising cost of living.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For 2024, the list was expanded to 450 companies and looked at their emissions between 2020 and 2022.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Read: The Last of Us and the power of video games One of the best things about the TV adaptation has been its ability to expand past the limits of the game’s storytelling.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Almost 4 in 10 Americans said neither party is fighting for people like them, as pessimism for both major parties swells, according to a survey released Friday.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
25 Apr. 2025
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One patient had brain swelling and developed a cyst caused by radiation.—
Frieda Klotz,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The most successful implementations use technology to augment human capabilities, providing tools that help people work more efficiently rather than avoiding challenges altogether.—
AJ Bubb,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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Brynjolfsson, in his Daedalus article, suggested changing the tax system to give businesses more incentive to invest in technology that augments labor rather than replaces it.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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President Trump’s recent ultimatum proposing U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea has intensified the diplomatic divide within Europe, forcing European capitals to choose between Kyiv or Washington.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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As the pope’s funeral approached, security around the Vatican intensified.—
Alan Yuhas,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In 2022, a consortium of private retirement-plan providers announced a collaboration to boost the portability of small retirement accounts.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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With the new terminal, Galveston aims to boost that number and attract additional cruise lines and routes to the Texas Gulf Coast.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Escalate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escalate. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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